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Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/13/01 at 02:33:56
Arab Americans stress loyalty in face of backlash Martin Kettle Thursday September 13, 2001 The Guardian Leaders of the estimated 3.5m Arab Americans in the United States rallied behind the national flag yesterday but warned members of the community against wearing distinctively Islamic dress in public until a wave of anger against American Arabs and other Muslims in the wake of Tuesday's terrorist attacks has died down. "This is a terrible time, not only for Muslims but for all believing people who believe in coexistence," said Mohamad Yusuff, editor of the Voice of Islam newspaper which is printed in the Washington suburbs, not many miles from the Pentagon, which was devastated by a hijacked plane on Tuesday. "No true Muslim would do anything like this," Mr Yusuff added. "This is an attack on American sovereignty in my view that can only be rivalled by the attack on Pearl Harbour." Muslim groups throughout the United States issued statements of sorrow about Tuesday's attacks, but community leaders simultaneously braced themselves for a fresh round of anti-Islamic feeling similar to the one which saw widespread incidents of threats and violence following initial suspicions, subsequently disproved, that Islamic militants were responsible for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing in which 168 people died. Mosques and Islamic centres in several cities were placed under round-the-clock police guard within hours of the attacks in New York and Washington, as cultural centres and other groups reported a series of threats and anti-Muslim incidents. In Chicago, a van flying several American flags was stopped by police after circling a number of blocks in a largely Arab area. Police removed placards saying "Kill all Arab terrorists". Staff at the Arab American Action Network reported passing drivers shouting "baby killers" and other insults. "My email was full of hate stuff this morning and we warned staff to come in earlier than normal to avoid possible confrontations," said Ismael Ahmed, the executive director of a Michi gan-based Arab community centre yesterday. In Washington, a statement issued by the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on Muslims to offer all possible assistance to the emergency services and to the victims of the attacks. Muslims were asked to donate blood and make financial donations to relief agencies. But the council warned that "those who wear Islamic attire should consider staying out of public areas for the immediate future" and advised extra security measures around mosques and community centres. Other leaders took issue with the advice. "I think we need to be who we are. Hiding is not the answer. We cannot be who we are by pretending not to be Arab Americans," said Mr Ahmed. "I worry that people will not see Arab Americans as their neighbour next door, but will jump to stereotypes," warned Safaa Zarzour, the head of the Al-Aqsa school in Chicago's Bridgeview suburb. America's long-established but small Arab population has been swelled by refugees and displaced populations from the Middle East conflict. Los Angeles has the largest single Arab American population, but the most prominent Arab American community is that in the Detroit and Dearborn area of Michigan, where 300,000 Muslims live. The former Republican senator for Michigan, Spencer Abraham, now the Bush administration's energy secretary, is the country's most prominent elected Arab American. Estimates during last year's presidential election suggest that Arab American voters backed George Bush rather than Al Gore by 40%-28%. Mr Bush became the first presidential candidate to address a specificially Arab American rally when he spoke in Dearborn in October 2000. During his speech Mr Bush took up one of the most frequent complaints of Arab Americans, that they are discriminated against at airport security check-ins. "Such indiscriminate uses of passenger profiling are wrong and must be stopped," Mr Bush told the rally.

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/13/01 at 02:34:21
Arab - Americans Fear Backlash By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 12:28 a.m. ET A day after suspected terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, Arab-American, Muslim and Sikh leaders reported sporadic vandalism and assaults against their communities. On Wednesday night, about 300 people -- some carrying American flags -- were stopped by police after gathering in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview and trying to march to a mosque. Police had blocked several streets and were trying to get the crowd to go home, Bridgeview Lt. Russell Harvey said. ``There's been some small pockets of altercations throughout this area and those individuals have been arrested,'' Lt. Tim Callahan said. ``There is a large presence of police here. We purposely did that to deter any violence in and around this area.'' Mosque windows were shattered in Texas, a New York man was arrested for an alleged anti-Arab threat, and a prison fight broke out over Muslim slurs in Washington state. ``I'm urging people not to play into the hands of the terrorists, not to act like them,'' said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, D.C. The prime suspect for the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, authorities said, was Osama bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi fugitive who authorities have blamed for several past terrorist attacks. In Suffolk County, N.Y., authorities arrested a man who allegedly made an anti-Arab threat and pointed a handgun at a gas station employee. In Texas, at least six bullets shattered windows at the Islamic Center of Irving. A window at the Islamic Center of Carrollton also was broken by a slingshot-type device, police said. Authorities there and in several other jurisdictions said they were unsure whether the threats were related to the terrorist attacks. In Asbury, N.J., Ramandeep Singh, a Sikh who wears a turban for religious reasons, said he had garbage and stones thrown at his car and stayed home from work. In a Washington state prison, a fight broke out during television reports of the attacks. A sheriff's spokesman said that one inmate loudly criticized Muslims and then a Muslim inmate threw him to the floor, causing cranial hemorrhaging. At the Kuwait Embassy in Washington, Tamara Alfson spent Wednesday counseling frightened Kuwaiti students attending schools across the United States. One student was told, ``You should all die,'' Alfson said. Another was moved to avoid a harassing bus ride to class. Hate messages and insults were left on the answering machine of the Manassas Mosque in Virginia, said director Abu Nahidian. Muslims in Oklahoma City said motorists made obscene gestures outside the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, said Suhaib Webb, imam of the center's mosque. ``We have no more to do with Osama bin Laden than you do,'' said Sheryl Siddiqui, a member of the board of the Islamic Society of Tulsa, Okla. ``He certainly doesn't represent Islam, and we're just devastated.'' In Virginia, an Islamic bookstore was vandalized in Old Town Alexandria, and officials at two Virginian mosques reported vandalism and threatening phone calls. About a dozen members of the Muslim community in Tampa, Fla., urged friends and relatives on Wednesday to donate blood, heeding calls by blood banks for donations for victims of the terrorist attacks. ``We're suffering all ways -- as Muslims, as Americans,'' Fatima Hussain said. American Airlines chief executive Don Carty echoed community leaders in urging Americans not to scapegoat entire ethnic and religious communities because of ``our collective grief, anger and shock.'' In a recorded hot line message to airline workers, he said: ``We simply cannot do that. Muslims and Arabs are our co-workers and our customers -- and they grieve over this tragedy as well.''

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/13/01 at 02:34:45
September 13, 2001 Arabs and Muslims Steer Through an Unsettling Scrutiny By SOMINI SENGUPTA New York Times [O] n a quiet block in Brooklyn Heights yesterday, a small cluster of men and boys gathered inside a mosque for afternoon prayers. Outside, a man drove past slowly and yelled, "Murderers." In Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, during the peak late-morning shopping hours, just a few women visited stores in their long gowns and veils. Usually, on such a sunny morning, they would have been everywhere. But word had gone out across the country for women in hijab, as the identifying veil is called in Arabic, to stay in. At Bellevue Hospital Center, a Muslim father from New Jersey trolled for news of his 25-year-old son, last seen Tuesday morning on his way to work on the 103rd floor of 1 World Trade Center. And as a Sikh man was trying to flee Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, he found himself running not only from flames, but also from a trio of men yelling invective about his turban. The lives of ordinary Arab- and Muslim-Americans ? and surprisingly, those who are neither Arab nor Muslim but look to untutored American eyes as if they might be ? were roiled in these ways. American Muslim groups, vastly more integrated into American society today than they were at the time of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, were swift to denounce the terrorist acts. Around the country, interfaith prayer meetings have already been held in several cities, including one in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, last night, with Muslim leaders joining other clergy members to voice support for the victims. A coalition of Muslim advocacy groups in Washington exhorted Muslim doctors to aid victims and urged Muslim-Americans to donate blood. They urged mosques to take extra security measures and encouraged "those who wear Islamic attire" to consider staying clear of public areas. Some mosques closed their doors out of fear. The Islamic Center of Irving, a mosque in suburban Dallas, had its windows shattered by gunshots. One mosque in San Francisco found on its doorsteps a bag of what appeared to be blood. And in Alexandria, Va., a vandal threw two bricks through the windows of an Islamic bookstore; handwritten notes with anti-Muslim sentiments were found attached to the bricks. While Muslims' lives were clearly changed, also changed were the lives of people who had nothing to do with the Islamic world but who might appear alien to untutored American eyes. Indian women chose not to wear their flowing, pajama-tunic outfits. Sikh men, with their religiously prescribed beards and turbans, reported being accosted. They said they were apparently being mistaken as followers of Osama bin Laden, pictured on television with a turban of a different sort. In Providence, R.I., yesterday, a Sikh man in a turban was pulled off a Boston-to- Washington train by the police. In Richmond Hill, Queens, one Sikh man was beaten with a baseball bat; two others were shot at with a paint- ball gun. Police arrested two men. "Quite frankly, it's worse for us because they keep showing these pictures of bin Laden on television wearing a turban," said Mandeep Dhillon, a lawyer in Menlo Park, Calif., and an advocate for Sikh rights. "It's making us incredibly vulnerable." Amrik Singh Chawla, a financial services consultant who was chased by the three men in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, sprinted onto a train and landed in Brooklyn, where he slipped into a shop, stuffed his turban into his briefcase and wore his hair in a ponytail for the rest of the day. "I'm like terrified for my life now, not just seeing people flying out of buildings, but for my own life," Mr. Chawla said. In New York, police officers stood sentry outside many mosques. The most popular Arab and Muslim shopping strips ? one along Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, another along Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens ? were lined with police. Outside a mosque on Steinway Street late yesterday morning, a man stood with a homemade placard that read, "Get out of our country." At a makeshift memorial at Union Square, a spat broke out over a favorable comment about Islam. Nowhere was the apprehension of ordinary Arab and Muslim New Yorkers as apparent as it was yesterday at the offices of the Arab- American Family Service Center in Cobble Hill. Its executive director, Emira Habiby-Browne, a Palestinian-American, had yanked the group's name off the front door early Tuesday morning. Yesterday afternoon, she had bolted all the doors that led to her office and holed up inside with a legal pad and a telephone. Two kinds of calls came in, she said. There were threats. One man said, for instance, "You should all die for what you've done to my country." There were requests for guidance. An Arab woman called, wanting to donate blood but afraid to step outside in her traditional hijab. Another stopped by the office, bewildered about how to speak to the parents of her son's friends ? or what to tell him about how to handle himself. Ms. Habiby-Browne spent much of the afternoon lining up her staff to head out to schools with large numbers of Arab children. Even her staff psychologist was wary of coming in. "My concern is the children when they go back to school," she said. "I don't know if they'll know how to respond." Indeed, she was already weary trying to come up with the right things to say. She had said them all before ? during the gulf war, during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, in the days after Oklahoma City. "Has anybody thought about the Arabs who work in the World Trade Center?" she wondered aloud. "This is a community like any other community. They vote. They pay taxes." Her throat was running dry at this point. "Arab-Americans who are here chose to be here."

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
se7en
09/13/01 at 02:23:40
LOCAL MUSLIMS Groups express sorrow and fear From the Boston Globe              By Anand Vaishnav, Globe Staff, 9/12/2001                 ocal Muslims say they are bracing                 for a possible wave of harassment              and retaliatory threats, as speculation              runs rampant that Islamic extremists may              have masterminded yesterday's              catastrophic terrorist attacks in New              York City and Washington, D.C.              Many Muslim parents said they were              leery of sending their children to school              in the coming days, certain they will be              targeted or teased. Police are patrolling              the neighborhood near the Islamic              Center of New England in Quincy. And              the center itself, which received bomb              threats in the early aftermath of the              Oklahoma City bombing, is again              electronically monitoring its phone lines              to track callers.              Imam Talal Eid, the center's religious              director, said the precaution is an              unfortunate necessity. Because acts of              terrorism are often linked to Islamic              radicals, who represent a tiny fraction              of the world's Muslim population,              adherents around the world are unfairly              targeted, he said.              Yesterday, images of Palestinians              celebrating the attacks in the streets of              the West Bank and the Gaza Strip were              televised around the world. Eid called              on people not to be swayed by the              actions of a few, saying the majority of              Muslims are peace-loving people who              deplore the violence of Islamic              extremists.              ''Words cannot by themselves express              our feelings, but we are deeply              saddened and condemn such acts,              especially when we hear they were              directed at civilians and government              property,'' Eid said. ''We really would              like to call on all our citizens not to              judge people by acts of other people.''              In a statement, the Islamic Society of              Boston also condemned the terrorism,              asking local Muslim doctors to make              themselves available to help in New              York City. The group also called on the              media to ''exercise restraint'' while              reporting on who might be responsible              for the attacks.              The Islamic Society said it planned to              hold a blood drive at its Cambridge              headquarters in the days ahead.              Eid estimated that 70,000 Muslims live              in the Boston area. The Islamic Center              of New England has about 1,500 active              members at its mosques in Quincy and              Sharon.              The Quincy mosque was heavily              damaged in an arson fire during the              Islamic holy month of Ramadan in 1990,              Eid said, and received threatening              phone calls in 1995 after the Oklahoma              City bombing, before Timothy J.              McVeigh and Terry Nichols were              apprehended.              The Quincy center has canceled its              annual food bazaar and fund-raiser              scheduled for this weekend, Eid said,              but services at the center are expected              to continue. He is urging Muslim              families to go about their lives normally              but be prepared for possible              harassment.              Salim Marhamo of Quincy said he is              undecided about sending his six              children to school. Marhamo came to              the United States from Lebanon 13 years              ago in search of a safe place to raise his              family.              ''I have two kinds of pain,'' Marhamo              said. ''I feel sorry for the innocent              victims. They are paying a price for              nothing. And I have the pain of fear of              retaliation against our community.''              This story ran on page A23 of the Boston Globe on              9/12/2001.

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/13/01 at 02:35:20
Worth man charged in alleged anti-Arab hate crime By Nancy Munson Tribune staff reporter Published September 12, 2001, 7:02 PM CDT A Worth man has been charged with a hate crime after he used a 2-foot-long machete to attack a gas station attendant he thought was of Arab descent, police said. Bond was set at $35,000 today in Cook County Circuit Court for Robert J. Shereikis, 39, of the 10900 block of Ridgehand Avenue, authorities said. Shereikis was charged with a hate crime, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated battery. The alleged incident occurred at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Shell gas station at Illinois Highway 83 and Ridgeland Avenue in Palos Heights. Shereikis asked the attendant's nationality and what country he was from, according to Lt. Bill Turner of the Palos Heights Police Department. The attendant replied he was an American citizen of Moroccan descent. Shereikis then pulled the machete out of his vehicle and started swinging at the attendant, hitting the man with the blunt end of the weapon and cutting the attendant's arm before driving away, police said. Witnesses got the license plate number of the defendant's vehicle and give a physical description to police, who arrested Shereikis at a nearby bar. Police said Shereikis told them he attacked the attendant because he was an Arab. The victim did not seek medical attention, police said.

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
se7en
09/13/01 at 02:35:52
Arab-Americans and Muslims fear backlash              By The Associated Press              Muslim- and Arab-American leaders condemned the terrorist attacks on the              World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and pleaded with the American public              not to take out its anger on their communities. But with federal authorities              focusing on exiled Saudi terrorist Osama bin Laden as their prime suspect,              vitriolic anti-Arab and anti-Muslim messages were spreading on the Internet,              windows of a Texas mosque were shot out and threatening phone calls were              made to groups in Washington, Los Angeles and San Jose. In one Colorado              town, some men allegedly threatened to burn down a mosque. n an America Online chatroom, many used racial slurs against Arabs. The              messages were written by people using online monikers, not their real names.              For decades, the Middle East has been a flashpoint for terrorist attacks and              American interests have often been targeted. Examples include the bombings of              the USS Cole last year and a Marine barracks in Lebanon in the 1980s.              But moderate Arab governments have often condemned the attacks.              The Web discussions, however, were just what Arab- and Muslim-American              leaders said they feared as they pleaded for calm. Between 6 million and 7              million Americans consider themselves Muslim.              "Regardless of who is ultimately found to be responsible for these terrorist              murders, no ethnic or religious community should be treated as suspect and              collectively blamed," the Arab American Institute said in a statement.              The group's Washington office received at least a dozen phone calls from              people saying the group would "pay for this" and telling them to "go home," said              media director Jenny Salan.              The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in Washington, the Muslim              Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles and the Islamic Networks Group in San              Jose also reported calls with death threats, obscenities and racial slurs.              Vandals fired at least six bullets through windows of the Islamic Center of              Irving, outside Dallas, causing about $3,000 in damage, officials said. No injuries              were reported.              In Chicago, Mustafa Yassin of the Arab American Action Network said he and              three others were closing the office when a middle-aged man drove by and              threatened them. "He said, 'We're going to make sure you guys are going to get              yours,"' Yassin said.              In Colorado, Farouk Abushaban, a spokesman for the Islamic Society of              Colorado Springs, said a carpet layer was working at the city's only mosque              Tuesday when "four guys came in and cursed at him." The men said they would              return later and burn the mosque down, Abushaban said.              In New York, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said neighborhoods with large              Arab-American populations would receive extra police protection to protect              against backlash incidents.              Arab-American leaders said their community is as devastated by the attacks as              the rest of the nation.              "We have friends and family who work in that building, the World Trade              Center. We have family and friends that worked at the Pentagon," said James              Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute. "While we would like to              mourn like everybody else in America, we end up looking over our shoulder              because someone is pointing a finger."              Fuad Sahouri, chairman of the Arab-American Business and Professional              Association in Washington, said he hopes Arab-Americans will not suffer the              same fate as 120,000 Japanese-Americans, who were forced from their homes              by order of President Franklin Roosevelt after the Japanese surprise attack on              Pearl Harbor.              "We don't want to be excluded or insulated or treated how Japanese-Americans              were treated," he said. "It's very important right now for Arab-Americans that              their loyalty never be brought into question. We are Americans first."

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
zanfaz
09/13/01 at 02:27:56
Threats, snide remarks worsen the pain of Bay Area Muslims Sukhjit Purewal in San Jose For American Muslims of the Bay Area as well as around the country, the tragedy of what happened on the East Coast on Tuesday has been more painful than for the average American. As the country struggled to come to grips with the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, many Muslims had to face the reality that they would be linked unfairly with the suicide bombers and their alleged mastermind, Osama bin Laden. As Palo Alto café owner Sophia Omar, who is of Afghan origin, told rediff.com: "When people think of Muslims, they think of terrorists." "We play a dual role and have a dual responsibility at a time like this," said Maha ElGenaidi, executive director of the San Jose-based Islamic Networks Group. "We have to basically deal with the backlash and watch our backs and as citizens of the world, we feel outrage and are horrified." American Muslim leaders united in their condemnation of the attacks on American civilians. "As Muslims we respect the lives of all human beings," Tahir Anwar, imam of the South Bay Islamic Association in San Jose, told rediff.com The mosque has received its share of hate calls, said Anwar. At the same time, leaders called on the public and the media to exercise restraint in their judgement. "If this has Middle Eastern connections, it should not be linked to Islam," said Anwar. "You can't hold a whole sect responsible for the activities of a minority group just because they are of the same religion." Anwar and ElGenaidi also reported receiving many calls from strangers who said they didn't blame American Muslims and stood by them in support. ElGenaidi counts herself lucky to be a Muslim in the Bay Area. "We live in a good community because of our activism," she said. ElGenaidi and other Bay Area Muslim leaders met on Tuesday night to discuss security issues around mosques and schools, many of which were closed on Tuesday. Classes at the Granada Islamic School in Santa Clara were cancelled after the school received threatening calls and students and parents were insulted by motorists driving by. Muslim groups had a prayer service scheduled in San Francisco for Wednesday night. Another was planned in Santa Clara, but had to be postponed until at least Thursday after city police said they needed more time to prepare for security. ElGenaidi said that aside from the threatening phone calls her office has fielded, there have also been concerned Muslims calling in for advice. "Mostly it has been women who have called to ask whether they should wear their hijab," said ElGenaidi. She has been telling them that they should definitely continue dressing in their traditional garb. But ElGenaidi admits she herself has been less conservative in her appearance than usual. "I try not to be as noticeable as possible," she said. Most importantly, however, ElGenaidi is telling the women not to be afraid of who they are. "Don't hide it -- don't be scared, and if you want to state your point of view, do it." All around the Bay Area, bits and pieces of information are coming in regarding harassment against businesses and residents. The San Jose Mercury News reported that a rock and bottle were hurled at an Afghan-owned store. But the Fremont police said they had not received any reports. Nor had the Hayward police, despite the anecdotal information reported to rediff.com by shopkeepers in San Jose and Milpitas. And San Francisco police said they had only received unsubstantiated reports of threatening calls. "How can you blame a whole community?" asked Sayed Abbas. "I think this is pretty wrong." Abbas, owner of the Pakistan Market in San Jose, told rediff.com that he had received about 30 threatening or harassing phone calls at his store on Tuesday. People called in threatening to blow up his store. Abbas, a US citizen, admits it was scary. "We are just as sorry for what happened as everyone else," he said. Abbas told one man who called him that when Timothy McVeigh, a white man, blew up the Alfred P Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City, Abbas didn't call and blame him. So what right did the man have to call Abbas now? But Abbas closed his shop early fearing that there could be trouble when darkness descended. Palo Alto's Sophia Omar said Tuesday was a difficult day for her emotionally. Sophia has operated her café in the city, which is known for its liberal and well-educated populace, for the past 10 years. But on Tuesday, her heart was wrenched by not-so-funny jokes made by long-time customers. "One man told me, 'you Middle Eastern people are pretty tough'." But for Sophia, who left Afghanistan 21 years ago after participating in the resistance against the Soviet occupation, such comments were not very funny. She picked her 16-year-old son up from the Los Altos High School, where he plays on the football team, just for her own peace of mind. It turned out that Sophia had a right to be concerned even though her son wasn't happy about going home early. "One boy said to him, 'so your uncle bombed us'." Sophia said her son sometimes brags that he could one day become president of the United States because he is a citizen, whereas she cannot because she was not born here. But on Tuesday, her son too felt as if he didn't belong in the US. Sophia cut off work early and took him fishing to keep his mind busy. She hopes that even if America does go after Osama bin Laden, Americans won't blame Afghanistan or Muslims. "He is only using Afghanistan as a base for his evil," she said. ElGenaidi said she remains optimistic that the harassment will not grow worse if the US retaliates against bin Laden or Afghanistan. But she said she knows realistically that the horrific images are going to be associated with Muslims and Islam.

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/13/01 at 02:36:13
Muslims brace for misplaced blame Area communities pray for victims and for tolerance   By Ron Grossman and Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Tribune staff reporters. Tribune staff reporters Sean Hamill, Bonnie Miller Rubin, Lisa Black, Carlos Morales, Stanley Ziemba and Rudolph Bush contributed to Published September 12, 2001 As news of Tuesday's terrorist acts spread among Chicago-area Muslims, their reaction was twofold: horror and outrage at the devastation, and concern that they would somehow be held responsible--no matter who the perpetrator might turn out to be. Some didn't wait long before their fears were confirmed. Hatem Abudayyeh, director of the Arab American Action Network, was closing the social center's doors at noon as a precaution when a car on 63rd Street abruptly slowed. The driver opened the window, swore, doubled back and got out of the car to accuse Abudayyeh and others at the center of being "baby killers." "This is what happens every time there is a bombing," Abudayyeh said. "I knew right away that the attack would be blamed on Arabs and Muslims." In Bridgeview, a van bearing American flags circled a complex of schools and a mosque. Another driver shouted epithets and made obscene gestures. Burbank Police Chief William Kujawa said officers had removed several signs from telephone poles on 79th Street that said: "Kill all Arab terrorists." City officials asked a local sporting goods store to stop selling firearms and ammunition until further notice. Safaa Zarzour, principal of the Universal School and Al-Aqsa School, educational institutions associated with the Bridgeview Mosque Foundation, feared the day's events would mark a new chapter in Muslim life in this country. "I worry that people will not see Arab-Americans as their neighbor next door," said Zarzour, "but will jump to stereotypes." The schools in Bridgeview were not evacuated, though some fearful parents retrieved their children. Other Muslim schools did close, including one attached to the Islamic Foundation in Villa Park, whose mosque has been vandalized three times in three years. Many local organizations quickly issued statements denouncing the attacks. The Islamic Association for Palestine, a conservative religious group based in Palos Hills, condemned what it called "the cowardly act of terrorism on our nation." "We in the Muslim and Arab community are deeply hurt by this terrorist act," the organization said. "Our deepest sympathy goes to the victims' families and our prayers are for the rest of the country." Muslim groups also said they wanted to offer assistance to the victims. "We are horrified by what we saw on television today," said Ali Alarabi, president of Vanguards for Human Rights and Freedom, an Arab-American activist group based in North Riverside. "We are in total shock and we are scrambling to see what we can do to help. We are asking people in our community to donate blood or to offer any other humanitarian donations." Local officials of the Council on American Islamic Relations called on its members to donate even as the Washington-based organization said it had received hateful e-mails. The Arab American Action Network said it also received a half-dozen threats via e-mail, including one reading: "You are going to feel the wrath of all Americans. Leave this country while you can." Sayyid Syeed, general secretary of the Islamic Society of North America, based in Plainfield, Ind., said his organization had received letters of support from the Parliament of World Religions, Catholic bishops and rabbis from across the country. At the Bridgeview Mosque Foundation, a prayer service was held Tuesday night for victims of the bombings. "Ugliness has no nationality," said Jamal M. Said, imam and director of the foundation. "Crime has no race. This is a time to be one people." Along Devon Avenue on the North Side and 63rd Street on the Southwest Side, where shop signs in Arabic outnumber those in English, shopkeepers and customers said they were concerned and afraid. "I don't want to go outside today," said Mohad Khan, a cabdriver who lives above the Bismillah Zabiha Meat Market on Devon. The manager of that shop decided, for security reasons, to close the shop early, and other Muslim-owned businesses did the same. "To be a Muslim in America means to be on the defensive," said Abdul Sheikh, 41, manager of Islamic Books and Things. Some thought it unwise to make too public an announcement of their faith. Basima Eid, who was shopping along 63rd Street, said her husband had urged her not to wear a hijab, the head scarf worn by devout Muslim women. "I told him, no," Eid said. "I didn't do anything wrong." Others worried that, especially in times of crisis, Americans might not distinguish among the peoples and religions of the Middle East. Ashoor Yonan, 22, is an Assyrian, a member of the Christian minority of Iraq and Iran. On Tuesday, he wondered if he and his friends would be treated as they were during the Persian Gulf War. "During the Iraq war, we had a lot of people coming up to us, assuming we were Muslims," said Yonan. "`Go back where you belong,' they said." His friend Heydo Zando, 20, belongs to the Marine Corps reserve. He wondered if his unit would be called up in the emergency. "Whenever there is a lot of stuff going on in the Middle East," Zando said, "it affects the way people perceive us here." At the Farmers Market on 63rd Street, where customers watched events unfold on television, proprietor Sam Obeid uttered his wish aloud. "I hope it wasn't us," said Obeid, who was born in Jerusalem. "I hope it was someone else--Muslims aren't supposed to kill."

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
se7en
09/13/01 at 02:29:51
Florida's Islamic schools close doors From USA Today              TAMPA (AP) — A school led by two men who have been linked, but never              charged with having ties to terrorists, closed Wednesday in a "day of mourning              and prayer." Sami Al-Arian, who once headed a university Islamic studies think              tank later connected to terrorists, said the Islamic Academy of Florida wanted              to show its support for the victims and condemn the violence. Local Islamic              leaders are also calling on their community to donate blood for the victims of the              attacks in New York and Washington. "No religion or faith would ever sanction              this evil act, and we hope that the perpetrators, regardless of their faith or              ideology, will be brought to justice soon." Al-Arian said in a statement released              Wednesday. The school closing comes as Tampa's Islamic community here has struggled to              separate itself from alleged ties to terrorists and build a reputation as              peace-loving neighbors.              Al-Arian and his brother-in-law, Mazen Al-Najjar, were under investigation by              the FBI for several years after the Islamic studies center they ran at the              University of South Florida were linked to known terrorists.              They were never charged, although Al-Najjar was held for more than three              years on secret evidence by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.              INS attorneys have said that the terrorists involved in the 1993 attack on the              World Trade Center were among those who appeared at seminars sponsored              by the Tampa group.              Al-Arian and Al-Najjar said Wednesday that they had not been contacted by              law enforcement since the attacks.              Still in the aftermath of Tuesday's bloodshed, Islamic leaders were worried their              efforts might be undone by stereotypes and prejudices that could surface if              Middle East extremists end up being blamed for the attacks.              Federal authorities identified Osama bin Laden, who has been given asylum by              Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, as the prime suspect.              Security at mosques and schools in the Islamic communities was heightened              Tuesday just in case.              "You don't really know how much effort has been put into this school to teach              the kids to be good citizens, the need to be peaceful," said Nahla Al-Arian, a              teacher at the Islamic Academy of Florida and the wife of Sami Al-Arian.              "I don't want harm to come to our school."              In Orlando Tuesday, an Islamic school closed after several threatening              telephone calls. In Tampa and Cooper City, deputies and police officers were              stationed outside to protect students.              "This is un-Islamic, by every definition, to have innocent people being killed, to              have children being killed," Al-Arian said. "I don't see anyone who can claim              religion here. This is an evil act."              The two leaders also briefed students on what they might expect in the days              ahead, telling them about the internment of Japanese-Americans in the months              that followed the attack on Pearl Harbor.              "I told them this is a horrible crime," Al-Najjar said of Tuesday's attack. "It does              not belong to any civilized people. It does not belong to history, except in the              darkest moments of history."

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/13/01 at 02:33:25
For Arab Americans, a Familiar Backlash Harassment, Threats Prompt Police to Provide Extra Security for Mosques, Islamic Centers By Hanna Rosin Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, September 13, 2001; Page A26 Arab Americans throughout the nation woke up yesterday to find bullet holes in their mosque windows, bricks with death threats attached, obscene graffiti and voice mail blaming them for Tuesday's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Almost as soon as the name "Osama bin Laden" flashed in the headlines as a likely culprit, Arab Americans braced for the backlash, which came overnight. By yesterday evening, Muslim groups in the United States had received more than 100 reports of harassment against women in head scarves, men in Muslim dress or people who merely looked Middle Eastern. Although authorities yesterday had named no suspects in the airborne attacks, American Muslim leaders found themselves rehearsing a drill familiar from past terrorist attacks. Virtually every Muslim and Arab American group, even those that have resisted repudiating Palestinian suicide bombers in Israel, lined up yesterday to condemn the attacks on American targets. Leaders defended Islam as a peace-loving religion and insisted that their hearts and national loyalties were with America, not with foreign extremists. Some of their fellow Americans moved beyond suspicion and stereotype. In Oklahoma City, where locals remembered how Muslims were harassed in the hours after the 1995 bombing of the federal building there, 500 people showed up for an interfaith service led by a Muslim cleric. President Bush also advised Americans not to rush to judgment. Still, many cities were not taking chances. In Atlanta and Chicago, police cars were stationed outside mosques and Islamic centers to provide extra security. Muslim schools in Detroit and Los Angeles closed for fear of attacks. And a coalition of Muslim leaders for the first time considered asking imams to cancel Friday worship services or to ask Muslims to pray at home. Up to six shots were fired at an Islamic center in Irving, a suburb of Dallas. Worshipers arriving yesterday morning discovered the damage at the center, which is part school and part mosque. No one was hurt. "It is frustrating," said Abdul Raouf of the center. "We are citizens of this country, and we share in the sorrow and sadness." Hazim Barakat arrived at his Islamic bookstore in Old Town Alexandria to find two bricks thrown through the window, with notes tied to them. One was addressed to "Arab murderers"; the other opened with an obscenity and "You come to this country and kill. You must die as well." "To tell you the truth, I expected it," Barakat said. "Because of the media. They have nothing to say except 'Islamic terrorist, Muslim terrorist.' But we Muslims are not terrorists. Those people [the terrorists] are crazy. We are ashamed of them." The Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church was shut yesterday and Friday services were canceled after mosque leaders received threats against the facility. Other incidents were common. A sign announcing the new home of an Islamic community center near Dulles International Airport was defaced with profane, anti-Muslim sentiments. The door of a mosque in San Francisco was splattered with blood. About 300 people tried to march on a mosque last night in suburban Chicago. And anti-Muslim slurs led to a prison fight in Washington state. Members of the Islamic community center in Sterling showed up extra early yesterday to get on a bus they had chartered to take them to a Red Cross center, where they planned to donate blood for victims of the attacks. They found their hallway spray-painted in thick black letters, several feet tall, spelling out: "Die Pigs" and "Muslims Burn Forever." "People should understand, we live here. We didn't do this," said Mohammed Khan, who emigrated from Pakistan to Sterling 16 years ago. National Muslim leaders reacted swiftly. A coalition of Arab leaders who had been scheduled to meet with Bush yesterday and air their complaints about the treatment of Muslims and the American stance on Jerusalem switched gears and instead mounted a public relations campaign promoting the charitable efforts of Muslims. Standing outside the Red Cross building in downtown Washington, Arab American leaders found ever-harsher words to condemn the attacks: "despicable," "appalling," "horrifying," "an act of war," Aly Abuzaakouk of the American Muslim Council said. They then announced they would donate blood to "show their solidarity with the victims of the attack," said Nihad Awad of the Council on American Islamic Relations. For the rest of the afternoon, leaders stood in a long line outside the Red Cross with Muslim students, some for five hours, to donate blood. Some Muslims rejected their leaders' standard line and ventured to, if not defend the attackers, at least offer to explain their actions. Ashraf Sabrin is an emergency medical technician in Arlington, assigned to one of the firefighting companies that rushed to the burning Pentagon on Tuesday. "I'm not saying it's okay," he began. "But there's a reason these people are angry. A reason why they bombed America. It's because Israel oppresses the Palestinian people and America tries to cover it up. Nobody listens to these people. They don't have a voice. So they act out of their frustrations." On Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, a street lined with Lebanese restaurants and Palestinian-owned health food stores, Sabrin's views were echoed. Outside a shop called Paradise Clothing, a man in a gray tunic stood facing the mirror, brushing his beard, getting ready for afternoon prayers. "If America didn't encourage Jews to kill Arabs, then no one would come here to make all these tragedies," said the man, a Moroccan who identified himself only by his first name, Houssain. But most were conciliatory. Even though a woman spray-painted the word "murderers" on the walls of the King Fahad Mosque in Culver City, Calif., and a passerby screamed obscenities at Tajuddin Shuaib, the mosque's director, Shuaib will not press charges. The woman "was overcome by emotions," he said. Of the terrorists, he added: "They don't represent all Arabs, let alone all Muslims. It's not Islamic to kill innocent people."

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/13/01 at 02:38:29
I'm Not the Enemy Thursday, September 13, 2001 Washington Post The horror is unspeakable. Like every American, I am paralyzed by the carnage on the news, on our streets. My head pounds, thinking of the grief engulfing thousands of families whose loved ones were killed or injured Tuesday. When I close my eyes, I see bodies tumbling from the windows of skyscrapers. As the attack unfolded, I panicked, racing through what until this moment had felt like a safe, suburban neighborhood to find my son and his babysitter, who were playing, as usual, at a nearby park. I begged my husband, who was at work in a prominent Washington building, to come home. With the phone lines going in and out, I felt sure that it just wasn't over. Like every American, I am afraid. Wondering what this means for us. Wondering whether it's over, or when and where the next attack will take place. It's the first time I've felt the kind of fear I imagine that people in other countries feel when they are at war. Like every American, I am outraged. And I want justice. But perhaps unlike many other Americans, I'm feeling something else too. A different kind of fear. I'm feeling what my 6 million fellow American Muslims are feeling -- the fear that we too will be considered guilty in the eyes of America, if it turns out that the madmen behind this terrorism were Muslim. I feel as though I've suddenly become the enemy of two groups -- those who wish to hurt Americans, and those Americans who wish to strike back. It's a frightening corner to be in. In the past, when lone Muslims have committed acts of terrorism -- or have been mistakenly assumed to be guilty, as in Oklahoma City -- hate crimes have abounded against American Muslims who look like they're from "that part of the world," against American mosques, against American children in Muslim schools who pray to the same peace-loving God as Jews and Christians. I am now not just afraid, as we all are, for our safety as Americans. I am also afraid for the safety of my sisters-in-law, who wear head scarves in public, and I implore them not to walk alone in the streets of our hometown. I am afraid for my brother, a civil rights lawyer who defends Muslims in high-profile discrimination cases. I am afraid to hear people openly state that Muslim blood is worthless and deserves to be spilled, as I heard when I was in college during the Persian Gulf War. I am afraid that my son won't understand why strangers aren't smiling at him the way they used to. I am afraid that we will be dehumanized because of our skin color, or features, or clothing. My heart aches each time a friend or relative calls, CNN blaring in the background, and sadly reminds me, "It's over for us now. Muslims are done for." I was briefly heartened to hear author Tom Clancy, interviewed on CNN, explaining that Islam is a peaceful religion and that we as Americans must not let go of our ideals of religious tolerance, because it's the way our country behaves when it's been hurt that really reflects who we are. Still, I'm afraid that Americans might view the televised images of a few misguided and deeply wounded people overseas celebrating the pain that America is now feeling, and will assume that I too must share that anti-American sentiment, that I, or my family, or my community, or my religion, could be part of the problem. In fact, every major American Muslim organization has decried this violence against us all. In fact, Islam forbids such acts of violence. In fact, all the Muslims I know cringe at the idea of our faith being used, abused, in the name of political agendas. And though I, like other Americans, want the perpetrators brought to justice, I shudder to think of the innocent lives that may be unnecessarily lost overseas in that pursuit. Children like ours. Mothers like us. Every time I hear of an act of terrorism, I have two prayers. My first is for the victims and their families. My second is, please don't let it be a Muslim. Because unlike when an act of terrorism is committed by a Christian or a Jew, when it is a Muslim, it's not considered an isolated act perpetrated by an isolated group of madmen. The entire faith is characterized as barbaric, as inhuman. And, my fellow Americans, I stand before you, as broken as you are, to tell you that it's not. That we are not. That we Muslims love our country as you do, and that we are bleeding and grieving alongside you. Reshma Memon Yaqub is a journalist who lives in Montgomery County.

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
se7en
09/13/01 at 02:38:41
Florida's Islamic centers heighten security, worry of                  backlash                  By VICKIE CHACHERE                  Associated Press                  Posted September 11 2001, 5:35 PM EDT                  TAMPA -- Security was tightened at local mosques and                  schools Tuesday across Florida, safeguarding against                  potential backlash from the terrorist attacks in New                  York and Washington.                  The state's Muslim leaders immediately began taking                  precautions against those who might jump to blame                  them. ``We pray that Muslims are not behind it,'' said                  Nahla Al-Arian, a teacher at a private Islamic school in                  Tampa. ``The kids got so scared. There was one little                  girl who said, ``Is our school going to be knocked                  down?'''                  Two sheriff's deputies stopped cars a block from the                  school to protect nearly 300 children there. A few                  parents checked their children out of school early and                  a dozen others called to make sure the school was                  safe.                  In Orlando, an Islamic school sent its students home                  early after receiving several ``hate calls.'' Muslim                  women, easily identifiable by their traditional head                  covering and robes, were being harassed, said                  Muhammad Musri, president of the Islamic Society of                  Central Florida.                  ``We are hurt, as any Americans would be about this                  tragedy,'' Musri said.                  Tampa school leaders said they do not believe that                  observers of their faith could be behind the violence,                  saying that it is contrary to everything their religion                  teaches. Others in the community were panicked                  because they have yet to hear from relatives in New                  York.                  U.S. government officials have not yet said whom they                  believe is responsible, but talk of terrorism routinely                  brings images of Islamic extremists and the world's                  most dangerous known terrorist, Usama Bin Laden.                  For Tampa's Islamic community, the anxiety is                  heightened because two of the founders of an Islamic                  school and community center, Sami Al-Arian and Mazen                  Al-Najjar, have been linked to known terrorists through                  a program they once ran at the University of South                  Florida. Neither man has ever been charged with a                  crime.                  ``This is worse than any nightmare could be,'' said                  Mazen Al-Najjar, who was held for three years by                  Immigration and Naturalization Service after he was                  accused of associating with terrorists. Al-Najjar was                  released last year when a judge ruled the government                  had no evidence to continue holding him.                  ``I am sad for every reason, for what happened to the                  victims, for what happened to the world. It is                  horrible.''                  At NUR-UL-Islam Academy in Cooper City, a Fort                  Lauderdale suburb, classes for about 200 children were                  dismissed early. A local police officer was standing                  guard at the academy's front gate, though no threats                  had been received.                  ``We share the grief and sorry that everyone is                  experiencing,'' said Jamal Hack, secretary of the                  academy. ``Certainly, we are not condoning anything                  like that.                  ``It's good that the police department recognized the                  situation and are guarding against any type of                  repercussions. We're very proud they came over.''                  Officials at the Tampa school said the reason for their                  concern is based in recent history. After the Oklahoma                  City bombings in 1995, for days there was talk that                  Islamic terrorists were behind the attack. During those                  days, there were several harassing and accusatory                  telephone calls and instances where drivers                  menacingly drove up to the school and sat outside it                  for several minutes before leaving.                  Tuesday, school officials kept up with the unfolding                  tragedy through television newscasts from Iraq,                  Kuwait and Abu Dhabi transmitted via satellite                  television.                  Each time another Arabic nation stepped forward to                  condemn the violence, it heartened the teachers and                  school leaders.                  Sami Al-Arian, a Palestinian who is now a U.S. citizen,                  said the attack came just as Arab leaders in the                  United States were preparing to meet with the Bush                  administration to discuss anti-Arab bias.                  ``We are trying to be productive citizens,'' he said.                  ``This kind of thing, unfortunately, people are using                  this to disqualify us from having out place at the                  table.                  ``This is un-Islamic, by every definition, to have                  innocent people being killed, to have children being                  killed. I don't see anyone who can claim religion here.                  This is an evil act.''                  Following afternoon prayers, Al-Arian spoke to the                  older children about what they might face in the                  coming days. He explained to them how                  Japanese-Americans were subject to an angry                  population's wrath after the 1941 bombing of Pearl                  Harbor, adding that people in shock and horror often                  do not think clearly.                  ``If this is tied to Muslim groups, we have to be                  prepared to face it,'' he said. ''...I told them how sad                  we are. Whoever did this is evil.''                  Akrem Samah arrived at the school to pick up his three                  children; their mother was at Tampa General Hospital                  recovering from giving birth to a baby girl the day                  before.                  Samah said he heard of the attack as he was                  whispering the call to morning prayer in his new                  daughter Aya's ear.                  ``I told her, 'On the first day you come, there is such                  trouble,''' he said.                  ''...No one deserved to be killed that way, no one in                  this world.'''

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
se7en
09/13/01 at 02:40:42
From Washington Times Anger turns to                  vandalisms,                  assaults of Virginia                  Muslims                  By Nick P. Divito                  ASSOCIATED PRESS                       RICHMOND -- Muslims across Virginia                  reported sporadic vandalism and assaults                  against their communities after the terrorist                  attacks in New York and Washington.                       Police said an Islamic                  bookstore in Old Town                  Alexandria, Va. was                  vandalized Tuesday night,                  and officials at two                  Virginia mosques reported                  vandalism and threatening                  phone calls.                       They yelled                  profanities, said Abu                  Nahidian, director of the                  Manassas Mosque in                  Prince William County.                  Mr. Nahidian said his                  congregation has been the target of insults and                  hate messages left on the office answering                  machine.                       "We have some recordings in our tapes that                  say, 'We hate you so-and-so Muslims, and we                  hope you die,'" Mr. Nahidian said.                       The prime suspect for the terrorist attacks                  in New York and Washington, authorities said,                  is Osama bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi fugitive                  whom authorities have blamed for several                  other assaults.                       Mr. Nahidian blames the Muslim backlash                  on the news media, which he said are                  portraying all Muslims as extremists. He also                  said bin Laden is "too weak" to pull off the                  attacks.                       In Old Town Alexandria, Hazim Barakat's                  Muslim bookstore was vandalized, police                  said. Mr. Barakat did not open his store on                  Tuesday, the day of the terrorist attacks, but                  came in yesterday to find four bricks thrown                  through his window.                       "The bricks were attached with                  anti-Islamic message of a threatening nature,"                  said Alexandria police spokeswoman Amy                  Bertsch. She wouldn't describe what they said.                       Authorities are investigating the case as a                  hate crime, she said.                       "Alexandria is a very diverse community,"                  she said. "We have looked at what                  communities and businesses might be affected                  [by Tuesday´s attacks], and we've adjusted our                  police force."                       No one was arrested.                       An official at the Masjid William Salaam                  mosque near Old Dominion University in                  Norfolk reported receiving at least one death                  threat since the attack, said mosque Imam                  Vernon M. Fareed.                       In Fairfax County, the All Dulles Area                  Muslim Society building was vandalized on                  Tuesday, said the American Muslim Council.                       "Area Muslims are naturally concerned,"                  Mr. Fareed said. "We are just as enraged by                  this attack as the rest of the American public.                  We are part of the American public."

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/13/01 at 02:40:58
Anguish Gives Way To Stubborn Rage; Muslim Community Reports Threats By Carol Morello and Peter Whoriskey Washington Post Staff Writers Thursday, September 13, 2001 The news coming from Lewis Bassford's car radio seemed to stoke his anger with every passing mile as he drove home Tuesday night, hearing how four planeloads of innocents had been utilized to kill many more innocents. Again and again, he pounded his car's armrests. Bam! for the Pentagon. Bam! Bam! for the World Trade Center. Bam! for the plane over Pennsylvania. "I've calmed down a lot," Bassford said yesterday as he walked to lunch with colleagues from National Geographic. But only from a boil to a simmer. "I still feel anger," he said. "How anyone could commit such a senseless act, how anyone is able to celebrate the death of civilians, is beyond me. We need to retaliate, heavily. Let's find out who they are and take them out." Across the Washington area yesterday, even before the embers at the Pentagon had cooled, numbing disbelief and grief were beginning to jell into something steely and potentially worrisome. For many, sadness was morphing into a hardened anger and the urge to retaliate and avenge. "I've noticed it in my patients. I've noticed it in my relatives. I've noticed it in myself," said Harold Eist, past president of the Washington Psychiatric Society and the American Psychiatric Association. Eist said that on a hot line he answered Tuesday night, many callers described themselves as normally nonviolent but seething with the desire to "get" the attacks' authors. "That's not healthy," said Eist, who counseled fellow psychiatrists suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome after the Oklahoma City blast. "You don't want to take your creative energy and turn it into something destructive. You don't want to become them." No group or individual has been identified as responsible for the coordinated attacks. Yet some local Muslims already have reported receiving threats over the phone and by e-mail. Hazim Barakat, owner of Old Town Islamic Bookstore, said two bricks had been thrown through the store's front windows Tuesday night. One was wrapped with a note scrawled, "Death to Arab Murderers," Barakat said. Concerned about the rising tide of anger that inevitably accompanies tragedies and disasters, psychiatrists from across the country have offered to send teams of counselors to Washington and New York. Locally, the Point of Hope Grief Counseling Center in Falls Church is offering free sessions Thursday and Friday nights. Whether residents or tourists suddenly stranded here, many people interviewed yesterday spoke of an almost primal outrage and frustration. "I want to enlist. I really want to enlist," said Randi Bulla to three co-workers at Rational Software with whom she ate lunch at Tysons Corner yesterday. "Give me a gun." "Oh, you don't want to say that," Tricia Miller replied. "You're kidding, right?" "I'm not kidding," Bulla continued. "Send me to boot camp. If no one is ready to fight for our freedom, we won't have it anymore." "They took down two national landmarks," said another co-worker, Jennifer Campbell. "If we sit back and take this, then we are the sissy nation they always say we are." "I keep trying to remind myself not to emulate the behavior of our enemies," Miller added. "We don't want to kill innocent civilians in response. But I get emotional just talking about it." Visitors to the capital's monuments and museums shared their feelings of helplessness and fury. "It makes me angry beyond belief, that someone could do this," said Troy Ruud, an electrical engineer from Idaho visiting with his wife and three sons. "How dare they do this to us? How dare they attack us?" Overnight, people said, they had started feeling violated and vulnerable. "There has to be justice. There has to be a payment," said Carl Setterlind, a Baptist minister from Asheville, N.C., who watched President Bush's address to the nation hoping that the attack's planners will be punished. "Nothing comes without a cost." Many focused their thoughts on the people who went to work Tuesday only to die, or the rescuers who never made it out of the World Trade Center. Their conclusion often was: Somebody has to pay. "Find out who did it, and bomb them," said Lisa Costello, a systems administrator at U.S. Customs. "That visceral reaction is still there. The anger will be there for a long time." But directed toward whom? The very lack of an identifiable enemy to seek revenge on is terribly frustrating to many. "Everybody is mad, but it's a controlled fury," said Charlie Madison, a building engineer for an Alexandria realty company, as he lowered an American flag on King Street to half-staff. "I'm mad enough to want to go out and tear someone up, but I just don't know who." But some people warned that even if the perpetrators ever are identified, even if a retaliatory strike can be made against them, the exaltation will prove hollow and fleeting. "There's no way we can get justice for this," said Patrick Calder, a graphic designer eating lunch with a co-worker at Lafayette Square. "There's nothing we can do that will make up for what was done. If we kill all the bad guys, it won't make up for thousands of lives taken and millions of dollars in property destroyed. It's hard to comprehend, and depressing."

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
se7en
09/13/01 at 02:44:20
September 12, 2001                  Muslim groups decry                  attacks                  By Larry Witham                  THE WASHINGTON TIMES                       Ten major U.S. Muslim organizations                  issued statements yesterday condemning the                  sneak air attacks against the Pentagon and New                  York's twin World Trade Center towers that                  injured and killed perhaps thousands of                  Americans.                       "There is no cause that                  justifies this type of                  immoral and inhumane                  act," said officials of the                  American Muslim Council                  (AMC). They called for                  "swift apprehension and                  punishment of the                  perpetrators."                       Leaders of the                  American Muslim                  Political Coordinating                  Council said the attacks                  were "vicious and cowardly acts of                  terrorism."                        "No political cause could ever be assisted                  by such immoral acts," they said.                       "This is not 10 or 20 years ago, when                  Americans were surprised by the Iranian                  revolution," said Sayyid M. Syeed,                  secretary-general of the Islamic Society of                  North America. "People are very familiar with                  their Muslim neighbors."                       He said Muslims were immediately blamed                  for the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal                  building, when the culprit was actually                  Timothy McVeigh. "This is not turning out to                  be like 1995, because the press has matured,"                  he said.                       Yet such gigantic acts of terrorism as those                  in New York and Washington can't help but                  revive images or stereotypes from the past,                  said John Esposito, director of the Center for                  Muslim-Christian Understanding at                  Georgetown University.                       "Things have gotten better for American                  Muslims, but this will have an unfortunate                  fallout," he said. "They are in a tough spot."                       The nation's 5 million Muslims are mostly                  immigrants or children of immigrants.                  Consequently, they frequently are associated                  with political turmoil or struggles for human                  rights abroad, Mr. Syeed said. "As Americans,                  we support the rights of our people, but it does                  not mean we endorse" one political solution or                  another.                       Muslim leaders also said they repeatedly                  condemn terrorism and often distance                  themselves specifically from the more extreme                  political groups -- though not all the time.                       Members of the AMC have endorsed                  Hamas, a political wing of the Palestinian                  Liberation Organization. They protested the                  criminal proceedings against the Egyptian                  cleric, Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahma, when he                  was given a life sentence for the 1993                  bombing of the World Trade Center.                       Mr. Esposito said that if Muslims now                  distance themselves from any particular                  radical group, they will make Islam look                  complicit when nobody yet knows who                  masterminded the terrorism.                       "That would be premature and play into the                  idea" of Muslim guilt, he said.                        If a terrorist who espouses Islam is                  identified, he said, "I expect major Muslim                  leaders will jump out front" to condemn that                  group.                       Mr. Esposito said Americans must                  distinguish "legitimate resistance" movements                  that involve Muslims abroad from terrorist                  organizations.                       The AMC, meanwhile, said yesterday it                  "supports all efforts of the investigation in                  order to track down the people responsible."

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/13/01 at 02:43:17
Muslims Condemn Acts, Fear Reprisals D.C. Area Islamic Groups Urged to Take Precautions By Caryle Murphy and Emily Wax Washington Post Staff Writers Wednesday, September 12, 2001; Page B06 Major American Muslim organizations yesterday forcefully condemned the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington and called on their communities to donate blood, medical aid and other assistance for the victims. But they also voiced fears of a backlash if the perpetrators turn out to be Muslim, and urged Islamic institutions to take extra precautions. "This is a deplorable attack beyond imagination, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with all Americans in bringing the perpetrators to justice," said Salam Al Marayati, of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. "We offer our condolences and any other kind of resources we can to support the victims of these attacks." Mindful of how Muslims were harassed after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, many Washington area Muslims quickly assumed a low profile. Female university students who wear hijab, the Islamic head scarves, decided not to attend classes. Islamic schools closed early, and worshipers at the District's Islamic Center were racked with worry. "We don't want this to be 1995 all over again," said Mohammed Jadir, 27, a retired soccer player from Morocco. "Everybody's waiting for what the president will say. We have to reserve judgment. This is not something that can be guessed." "This is a terrible time, not only for Muslims but for all believing people who believe in coexistence," said Mohamad Yusuff, a D.C. government employee and editor of the newsletter Voice of Islam, which is printed in Silver Spring. "No true Muslim would do anything like this. This is an attack on American sovereignty in my view [that] can only be rivaled by the attack on Pearl Harbor." Only hours after the initial attacks, hate e-mail began arriving at Muslim organizations, and some Washington area Muslims were harassed. As Layla Al Khateeb, 31, and a male colleague left the Iraq Foundation in Washington, a man confronted her friend and asked where he was from. When he replied that he was from Iraq, Khateeb recalled, the man said, "Good, why don't you guys drop another bomb on us?" John Voll, professor of Islamic history at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, said three students e-mailed him that they could not attend his midday class because they feared going out in their head scarves. "They are pretty distraught because they think they're going to get blamed for it," Voll said. Al Huda School in Silver Spring and Washington Islamic Academy in Springfield sent students home early as a precaution, their principals said. "I'm very sad. I hope it has nothing to do with Arabs and Muslims," said Jordanian-born Saleh Saleh, 45, principal of the academy. "I send my condolences to the families of those who've suffered in this terrible incident." Some Muslims stressed that they were as hurt and bewildered as other Americans. "We're just as horrified by this, just as scared that we may be victims, as anyone else," said Kamal Nawash, a Muslim lawyer in Virginia and a candidate in upcoming elections for the Virginia House of Delegates. "If one Christian bigot commits a crime, that doesn't make all Christians criminals," said Mahdi Bray, a Virginia resident and president of the Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations. "Just the fact that one Muslim group may have committed this criminal act doesn't mean all Muslims are supportive." The District-based Council on American-Islamic Relations urged Muslim medical professionals and relief agencies to offer help to hospitals and relief workers. The Islamic-American Zakat Foundation in Bethesda and American Muslim Foundation in Alexandria announced blood drives. The council -- like some other Muslim groups -- also urged Muslims who wear Islamic attire to stay "out of public areas for the immediate future." It also suggested that community leaders ask for additional police patrols near mosques, report suspicious packages to police and take down descriptions of suspicious people or vehicles. At the Islamic Center, the manager, who asked not to be named, said that if the perpetrators are Muslim, the Islamic community needs to condemn their acts. "There is a responsibility by Muslims to say terrorism is wrong," he said. "It's very simple."

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/13/01 at 02:48:47
A Shaken Global Village on the Internet By Joel Garreau Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, September 12, 2001; Page C01 The Internet, which was designed as part of the Cold War with global conflict in mind, linked millions of people yesterday who desperately wanted to talk to each other. E-mail and instant messaging worked even when phone networks in New York and Washington did not. Heart-rending, first-person descriptions of horror mingled with levelheaded analysis and warnings against precipitous action while cries for vengeance flowed around lists of people who were reassuring friends and loved ones that they were all right. So many people turned to news sites such as CNN.com and MSNBC.com that they bogged down. The Internet search engine Google directed viewers to television and radio. Many news sites stripped themselves of graphics, ads and other regular features in order to make response times faster. Keynote Systems Inc., which measures Internet performance, said it did not find any widespread problems with the Internet's main trunk lines. But when it came to many-to-many connections, the Internet showed what it was made for. It provided the human contact to match the rush of news, serving as a lifeline for loved ones and a public forum for those who needed answers or a place to yell their cries for vengeance. On Yahoo, the World Trade Center Disaster Chat Room 3 was a rapid discussion of war. Are we at war? What were the levels of alert? Will nuclear weapons be used? Against whom? There were two levels of chat: In bold, or capital letters, often colored, were the shouters; in regular type, with proper grammar, were the voices of reason. They did not seem to be talking with each other. Even the room names reflected the sense that the United States was having many discussions, some faster than thought, others more worried and reflective. A sign of the times: The "Rational Analysis" area that demanded "no racism or useless banter," had only seven participants. Hundreds were clustered at "AMERICA UNDER ATTACK." At TheWell.com, one of the world's first online communities, the tone was sober. "I thought I had lost the capacity to be as shocked as I am by this incident," wrote one person. "The beginning of a way less tolerant America, I suspect," wrote another. "After years of historical retrospectives, I now understand how the country felt after Pearl Harbor," wrote a third. Where there was congestion on the main news sites, traffic flowed to alternative sites such as Slashdot.com , which was showing cut-and-paste summaries from the commercial sites. It was a sort of collaborative news gathering, with people pulling together information and rumor, giving participants access to more sources than they'd be able to get themselves, noted Jamais Cascio, a longtime Web analyst. More important, they gave people a chance to grieve, vent their anger and express their amazement at the scale of the tragedy. E-mail was the overwhelming means of making sure that family and loved ones were well. "Wow, am I glad to see your name pop up on my screen," was a frequent reply to users in the devastated cities as they sent out news of their friends and families to their entire mailing lists. Informal Internet hostels rapidly popped up. People offered free accommodations to Net-friends in the devastated areas and those who were stranded by grounded or diverted flights. "I've seen dozens of 'call if you need a place to stay' messages so far," technology analyst Bruce Sterling reported. Within minutes of the attacks, Internet sites began to dedicate portions of their sites to serve as virtual support groups. America Online put up a link on one of its main screens that urged, "Share your sympathy for victims of the attacks and get advice on coping with loss." That led to a chat room called "Lean on Me" that was supposed to provide consolation for people worried about their loved ones. There, visitors found prayers and some kind words. But mostly they found anger and profanity with the grossest stereotyping about everyone from Pakistanis and Mexicans to Americans. "This is a sick chat," wrote one participant who was waiting for word from his father who works at the Pentagon. "This is a time of sadness, not a time to joke. . . . Have a little compassion," lectured another. Within minutes of the attacks, the American Muslim Political Coordination Council sent out e-mails condemning the attacks. "American Muslims utterly condemn what are apparently vicious and cowardly acts of terrorism against innocent civilians. . . . No political cause could ever be assisted by such immoral acts," the group wrote. Discussion on the soc.culture.arabic and soc.culture.israel newsgroups -- which typically feature largely academic talk about those regions -- degenerated into finger-pointing about the attacks. "Why are Moslems always attacking civilians somewhere in the world?" wrote one man. "Its the price you pay for supporting zionist fascists and at the same time ignoring the plight of the opressed!!" replied another. And the Internet Relay Chat's Islam chat room was infiltrated by people who sent messages like this one: "DIE YOU ISLAM [expletive]!!!! YOU WILL GET YOURS!!!" It was sent four times at 10:28 a.m. before the author was disconnected by the administrator. In private listservs devoted to the information industry, postings included one by a person who described himself as working for the National Security Agency that said, "I want to know as a member of the intelligence community how the [expletive] we didn't see this happening." In a Yahoo chat room called "What Do You Think of New York," at 2:15 p.m., people were sending messages faster than they could type and spell. Strings of half-completed thoughts piled up, mostly expressing rage and disbelief; there were occasional reminders to keep one's thoughts on the victims. Xenophobia flared, directed against Muslim nations. Conspiracy theories melded with a rich tapestry of speculative detail, like the amateur numerologist speculating on the correlation of yesterday's date, September 11, with the national dialing code for emergencies: 911. The posters fell quickly into a kind of Pilgrim's Progress of archetypes. One was all rage and determination, backing his comments with military jargon: "Threat con delta is war. . . . America's highest state of military allert," he told participants. Another offered consolation and reassurance. There was an odd mix of confrontation and politeness: A user who identified as Iranian was assaulted with messages about his or her political leanings; but the same participants signed off with grace, "Thanks you guys for the exchange of ideas . . ." Mostly the Net served as a caldron of emotions as on AOL's "Todays News" chat room. The day's discussion boiled over, moving quickly from calls for revenge to calls for reason, from a search for answers to a search for solace ("all those people are dead," posted one person). "An eye for an eye," wrote someone. "Start the draft!" wrote another. "Fighting isn't the way to solve problems," posted yet another. Under it all, however, were the two simple posted questions that no one could really answer: "Who and why?" Staff writers Ariana Eunjung Cha, Marcia Davis, Philip Kennicott and Rob Pegoraro also contributed to this report.

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
Saleema
09/13/01 at 05:16:44
Bus With Muslim Children Stoned By Associated Press September 13, 2001, 6:03 AM EDT BRISBANE, Australia -- A school bus carrying Muslim children was stoned and vandals tried to set fire to a Lebanese church in apparent acts of retaliation for terrorist attacks in the United States, officials said Thursday. Queensland state Islamic Council chairman Sultan Deen said stones and bottles damaged the side of the bus Wednesday in the northeastern city of Brisbane. Nobody was injured. "The children are quite shaken up," Deen said. Three Australians are confirmed dead and a further 85 are missing in the wake of the terrorist attacks in the United States, the government said Thursday. Deen said public outrage over the attacks had also led to abusive phone calls to mosques. "It is very disturbing. They are saying things like, `You will be held responsible' and `We'll get you,"' Deen said. Suspicion for the terrorist attacks has fallen on Saudi national Osama bin Laden, who has been accused of numerous attacks against U.S. targets, including the bombing of its embassies in Africa three years ago. He is believed to be sheltered by the Taliban rulers in Afghanistan. In Sydney overnight, vandals attempted to set fire to the St. Mary's Antiochian Orthodox church -- which has a Lebanese congregation -- and racist slurs and swastikas were scrawled on the walls of another Lebanese church, said police inspector Norm Russell. Meanwhile, pro-Islamic slogans were daubed on a building in Melbourne's central business district overnight, police said. Australia's Islamic community condemned the terrorist attacks. "Terrorism, the killing of innocent people, is a crime against God and against humanity," said Yasser Soliman, chairman of the Islamic Council of Victoria. Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock urged Australians to not seek scapegoats. "One of the important values we have in a multicultural society is the tolerance and outward looking view of people from a different background," Ruddock told Sydney radio 2GB. Copyright © 2001, The Associated Press

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
amatullah
09/13/01 at 07:56:21
Bismillah and salam, Here's one from the National post, canada: September 13, 2001 Stay inside, Muslims warned 'No religious community should be treated as suspect' By Christopher Read National Post, with files from The Canadian Press -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Muslim organizations across Canada and the United States condemned Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the United States and urged people not to take their anger out on Muslims. The Islamic Assembly of North America is advising Muslims to stay home. "All Muslims in the U.S. and Canada must take precautions and care from the possibility of retaliatory attacks," said the group's Web site. "Do not leave home unless absolutely necessary, especially women who wear Muslim dress." In Richmond, B.C., the president of the B.C. Muslim Association, Sikhander Khan, said they had received harassing calls. In Irving, Tex., officials said at least six bullets shattered windows at a mosque, causing about US$3,000 in damage. In Montreal, police downplayed reports someone tried to set fire to a building that used to be a mosque on Tuesday night. "We have no information that leads us to believe that it was linked to the events we saw in the United States," Commander André Durocher said. The Muslim Council of Montreal issued a release urging people not to rush to judgment about the identity of those responsible for Tuesday's attacks in the U.S. "Regardless of who is ultimately found to be responsible for these terrorist murders, no ethnic or religious community should be treated as suspect and collectively blamed," said the release. The release also announced the Montreal Rally for Palestine, secheduled for Saturday, has been cancelled. Between 15,000 and 25,000 people were expected. "We want to show our condolences and our concern," said Salam Elmenyawi, chairman of the Muslim Council of Montreal. The Islamic Foundation of Toronto issued a release that said: "In the absence of clear evidence and the true identity of the perpetrators we urge all media outlets and other opinion makers not to indulge in any speculation. We are all aware of the tragic consequences of the Oklahoma City bombing and it is imperative that such mistakes are not repeated." The B.C. Muslim Association's release said: "The British Columbia Muslim Association urges the media to be very careful to not engage in generalized stereotypical labelling ... These criminals who perpetrated this horrific crime are fanatical zealots whose agenda is borne out of political motives without regard for human life." Dr. Moustapha Fahmy, President of the Islamic Society of Kingston, Ont., said he's urging members to avoid heated discussion on the topic of the U.S. terrorist attacks. "Emotions run high and people may behave irrationally, so one has to be on his or her guard. What we are asking them, is not to be dragged into something," said Dr. Fahmy. In Toronto, Muslim taxi driver Omar Egeh, 39, said Muslims are safer in Canada than in the U.S. "There is a lot of anger in the U.S., but here nothing's happening," he said. "But I really fear for the Muslims abroad." The B.C. Muslim Schools in Richmond and Surrey were closed yesterday "for precautionary measures," said Adam Buksh, chairman of the Surrey-Delta branch of the B.C. Muslim Association. Outside a Muslim bookstore in Toronto, Nazir Khan, 61, said "Equating Muslims with strategic political activity begs the question -- do people in this country understand the difference between Muslims and political activists?"

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
amatullah
09/13/01 at 07:59:05
Bismillah and salam, From the toronto star: Arab-Canadians see attack backlash Verbal abuse, harassment incidents occur, Canadian-Arab spokesman say From Canadian Press Canadian Arabs have been subjected to assaults, verbal abuse and ethnic stereotyping since the catastrophic terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, a prominent Arabic spokesman said yesterday. "There have been incidents already," Atif Kubursi, president of the National Council of Canada-Arab Relations, said in an interview from Ottawa. Kubursi said five school students with Arabic-sounding names were assaulted in Oakville, Ont., by schoolmates. "There is no question there will be a backlash," said Kubursi. ``Because of the crimes of a lunatic fringe." Kubursi said he didn't know the ages of the students or how they were assaulted. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the deadly airplane attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon, but media commentators and U.S. federal authorities have been focusing on Saudi terrorist Osama bin Laden as a prime suspect. A Montreal mosque was firebombed Tuesday night. No one was injured in the attack and there was no estimate of damage. The mosque, located in the north end of the city, has been vacant since July. The Arab-speaking community, which numbers about 300,000 in Canada, "has seen this before, people being abused on the street . . . people trying to portray all Arabs in the world as being responsible," Kubursi said. Jehad Aliweiwi, executive director of the Canadian Arab Federation, said employees in the organization's national office in Toronto have received phone calls "that were less than flattering." "They were abusive and threatening and one said, `You will pay for this,'" said Aliweiwi. He said the media has to share a large part of the blame for ``baseless and irresponsible assumptions" of the entire Arab community. The federation said it feared a potential backlash against Arab-Canadians in the workplace and at schools. "We've had reports of people not sending their kids to school," said Aliweiwi. The largest Arab-Canadian community, he said, is in Montreal with a population of more than 100,000, followed by Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver. Several Muslims were being threatened in Calgary, said Nagah Hage, chairman of the Muslim Council of Calgary. The community responded by closing an Islamic grade school to protect 600 children. Police security was also posted at a popular mosque. "Muslims are being targeted," said Hage, who estimates there are 40,000 Muslims in Calgary. "There are fears of retaliation." More than a dozen Muslims have received threatening phone calls at home and on the street, Hage said. "They say derogatory things like, `You guys should be thrown out of here, you guys should be blown up.' Things like that." Police in St. Catharines, Ont., arrested a 43-year-old man and charged him with uttering death threats after a woman answering the phone for the Islamic information centre in nearby Niagara Falls received a threatening phone call Tuesday evening. Alberta Premier Ralph Klein said he's very concerned that Muslims across Canada are being tarred with the same brush. "I think it would be wrong and certainly it would be unjustified for Canadians to ... blame the religion of Islam for this," he said yesterday. "Responsible leaders are now speaking out that there may be a faction that is a fundamental militant faction bent on terrorism but this in no way reflects the attitude of the Muslim community throughout the world." The B.C. Muslim Association said it was horrified by the terrorist attacks and urged the media not to "engage in generalized stereotypical labelling." It noted there are more than 1.4 billion Muslims around the world comprising more than 60 ethnic groups. The B.C. association was in the news last fall after a suspicious fire destroyed a mosque in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey. The fire occurred only days before the beginning of Ramadan, a month of fasting and prayers. While Aliweiwi and Kubursi said there were no abusive attacks on their groups' Web sites, there were reports in the United States of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim messages spreading on the Internet. In an America Online chatroom, many used racial slurs against Arabs. In other areas of Canada, local Muslims condemned the attacks and urged calm. "We are in a state of shock, sadness and you might even say outrage," said Jamal Badawi, spiritual leader of the Islamic Association of Maritime Provinces. "This is an indiscriminate attack causing a great deal of death, destruction and injuries on a massive scale." He said the community's prayers and condolences go to victims and families. "There is quite clearly no genuine religious ground, nor even political grievance, to justify the victimization of innocent civilians." The executive director of Edmonton's Canadian Arab Friendship Association expressed concern about a possible backlash against Muslims. "We urge that whether it's the Canadian community in Edmonton or the civilians in the U.S., not to do a knee-jerk reaction," said Nora Abou-Absi. Saleem Ganam, former president of Edmonton's Canadian Islamic Centre, said even if the attackers are Muslims they are the exception, not the rule. "You're looking for a scapegoat and the first one you think about is a Palestinian." The Muslim community in Winnipeg also braced for any backlash while looking for ways to help the victims. "I hope Canadians use their judgment," said Shahina Siddiqui, co-ordinator of community relations for the Manitoba Islamic Association. She said security had been tightened at an Islamic school and mosque. At a community meeting Tuesday night, the Muslim community decided to help in a blood drive should U.S. authorities request help in dealing with the thousands of injured in the attacks. In Montreal, Marie Rejouli, editor of the Lebanese newspaper Almoustakbal, which covers Canada's Arab community, described the attacks as "a crime against humanity." She said the Arab community fears it will be blamed for the terrorist attacks. "Everybody is ready to take it for granted that it's the Arabs," she said. "Officially, there's no answer yet." David MacGregor, a sociologist at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont., who specializes in evil, lauded commentators and the Canadian public for not overreacting against the Arab community. "So far it's been pretty subdued," said MacGregor, referring to some commentators' efforts to prevent people from "lashing out." "In Canada, so far, that inclination has been limited."

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
amatullah
09/13/01 at 08:12:20
Bismillah and salam, From Edmonton, Alberta, canada: City Muslims condemn attack, fear backlash   Susan Hagan, Journal Staff Writer   Edmonton Journal Wednesday, September 12, 2001 Edmonton's Muslim community leaders gathered Tuesday night to determine how to deal with possible backlash from the terrorist attacks in the United States, even though no one has claimed responsibility. "We wanted to establish our position on the latest events as well as prepare for any negative response," said Usama Al-Shiraida, spokesman for the group. "To us, this whole situation is quite scary. "Our position is we don't condone violence, we condemn it." After a local mosque received a threatening phone call earlier in the day, the community braced itself for possible attacks, both physical and verbal, he said. Islam forbids violence against civilians and no just cause can ever be furthered by such immoral acts, he said. The group has spoken with Edmonton police and fielded numerous calls from members of the community. "On behalf of the entire community, I would like to express our condolences," Al-Shiraida said. Nora Abou-Absi, executive director of the Canadian Arab Friendship Society, said the attacks shocked and horrified the community. Abou-Absi said after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, Arab communities were immediately blamed, even though an American was responsible. "I am concerned about a possible knee-jerk reaction in Edmonton and Canada," she said, noting she has received more supportive phone calls than negative ones

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
amatullah
09/13/01 at 08:16:20
Bismillah and salam, The Ottawa citizen: Muslims say terrorism against teachings of Qur'an 'Terrorism is one of our enemies, too'   Dave Rogers, with files from Bob Harvey, Christine Boyd and Karina Roman   The Ottawa Citizen Wednesday, September 12, 2001 Muslim groups in Canada and the U.S. condemned yesterday's terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, saying they are immoral and could incite hatred against Muslims. Syed Soharwardy of Calgary, president of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada and Muslims Against Terrorism, said North American Muslims want those responsible for the attacks brought to justice. "This is absolutely wrong and very deplorable according to Islamic teachings," Mr. Soharwardy said. "This kind of terrorism is against the teachings of the Qur'an, but because of the stereotypes in the Western media, people try to blame Muslims as quickly as they can. "I have been living here for 25 years and I know that the media in the United States and Canada try to find reasons to link whatever happens to Muslims or Muslim organizations. The people who did this should be condemned, not the whole Muslim community." Mr. Soharwardy said people spat on Muslims, and his relatives and friends received death threats, after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. He said the hatred that exists in Israel and Palestine should not affect Canadians. "We're fearing a backlash," said Amen Adam, executive director of the Canadian Islamic Congress's office in Ottawa. "When the Oklahoma City bombing happened, we saw the fingers wrongly pointed at us Muslims, and Islamic centres were burned, so we are following the situation anxiously." But Mr. Adam said the major concern of most Muslim Canadians is for the human lives lost. "Terrorism is one of our enemies, too," he said. One Ottawa Muslim, Idris Ben-Tahir, said callers left 11 obscene and insulting messages on his answering machine yesterday. The only reason for the anti-Muslim messages is the connection some people are wrongly making between Islam and the attacks, he said. Despite the threats, Mr. Ben-Tahir said he is not intimidated: "Im not scared. I've lived here (in North America) 44 years. I've served in the RCAF as an officer. I'm not afraid. Those who make threats don't act. Those who act don't make threats." Gamal Solaiman, imam of the Ottawa Mosque and religious leader for about 50,000 Muslims in the Ottawa area, said he has not personally been threatened, nor does he fear for members of his community. He said the region's Muslim community are not so much worried about their own personal safety as they are shocked and saddened by the terrorism: "One cannot find the words to express the loss of life, of human resources." He said members of the mosque have been praying for the victims of the attacks and their families, but decided to delay holding a special service for them until Friday. "It is better to wait until the dust settles and emotions are not so high." At that service on Friday, expected to draw 3,000 Muslims, he will urge the community to donate blood at the Canadian Blood Services. He has also been in talks with the Northwestern United Church to organize an informal joint prayer session, possibly as early as Saturday. Meanwhile, he urges restraint, both among the Muslim community and elsewhere. "Let me stress that our community are very law-abiding people. They are urging me to extend their condolences to the families," he said. "I am seriously praying that wisdom and sense will prevail and the people will think very carefully before making statements, Americans and otherwise." At a council meeting of the trustees of the Ottawa Mosque last night, members stressed that who or what is responsible is still unknown and that contrary to some statements made to the media, Islam is not synonymous to terrorism. "In every religion there are fanatics who don't abide by what the religion stands for," council chairman Syed M. Ahmed said. Riad Saloojee, a spokesman for the Canadian office of the Council on American Islamic Relations, condemned the attacks as vicious and cowardly acts of terrorism against innocent civilians: "We offer our condolences to people who lost loved ones in the tragedy. We join with people of conscience in calling for the swift apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators. Such immoral attacks of terrorism ... contribute to the perpetuation of stereotypes and hatred of Muslims." Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the American Muslim Political Co-ordination Council, said Washington mosques have been closed because Muslims fear reprisals after the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. "We are already getting reports of Muslims being harassed in the street, particularly Muslim women. We are issuing an alert to the community to increase vigilance at mosques and we are telling Muslims to stay indoors for their own safety." There are more than 600,000 Muslims in Canada and about seven million in the U.S. (there was a picture that won't open and underneath it says: The Ottawa Citizen Imam Gamal Solaiman says the region's Muslim community are shocked and saddened by the terrorism in New York and Washington.)

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
amatullah
09/13/01 at 08:20:38
bismillah and salam, From the canadian press: Montreal mosque firebombed following terrorist attacks on U.S. MONTREAL (CP) - A mosque has been firebombed following the terrorist attacks on the United States, raising fears of further retribution against members of Monrteal's sizable Arab community. No one was injured in the firebombing, which took place Tuesday night after suicide the devastating attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The chairman of the Muslim Council of Montreal said Wednesday that he has asked city police to bolster security around mosques and Muslim community facilties. But police Cmdr. Andre Durocher said that, apart from the firebombing, police had no reports of violence linked to the events in the United States. "Montrealers in general have a good history of tolerance toward each other," said Durocher. Police are treating the firebombing incident as arson. There was no imediate word from police on the extent of the damage to the building. The mosque, located in the north end of the city, has been vacant since July. The firebombing was just one of several reported incidents of anger against Montreal's Arab community, which numbers about 250,000. A local Arabic newspaper said it has received dozens of calls from community members reporting verbal abuse, racial slurs and obscenities. Joseph Nakhle, editor of Al-Mustakbal newspaper, blamed unfounded media speculation and sweeping generalizations for "stoking this flambe of instant emotions." "These people know nothing about Islam, nor anything about the history of the Middle East nor the complexities of what is going on there, yet they are quick to leap to judgment," he said.

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
amatullah
09/13/01 at 08:25:19
Bismillah and salam, From Nova Scotia's Herald: Muslims 'afraid' of backlash Canadians urged not to jump to conclusions in assigning blame By Kelly Shiers / Staff Reporter TERROR STRIKES Nova Scotia's Muslim community is fearing potential backlash, as speculation about who is responsible for Tuesday's attacks on the U.S. continues to focus on Middle East terrorists. "We're afraid for our members' safety - even in Halifax," said Zia Khan, director of the Centre for Islamic Development. "Our women are very easily identified with their head scarves. If a woman comes from the Far East, if she comes from Russia, and she is Muslim, she'll wear a headscarf and automatically, it will be said she comes from Osama bin Laden's camp," he said, referring to the fugitive Saudi terrorist who has been the centre of much of the speculation. In Halifax on Wednesday, one Muslim woman reported being the victim of such harassment. According to Ifty Illyas, executive-director of the Centre for Diverse Visible Cultures, the woman was very upset after an encounter with an older woman on a Metro Transit bus on the way to the centre. The woman told workers there that the older woman forcefully and repeatedly nudged her arm. When asked to stop because it was hurting, the older woman became very loud and asked, "Why don't you go home?" Mr. Illyas said. A spokeswoman for Metro Transit said no driver's report had been filed on the incident as of mid-afternoon Wednesday. However, she said reports are sometimes filed the next day and some minor incidents are not reported. Mr. Illyas said the woman at the centre said other passengers and the bus driver were supportive to her once they realized what was happening. He echoed comments made by other leaders Wednesday when he urged Canadians not to jump to conclusions about who is to blame for the attacks on the United States. "By making insinuations here and there, it can affect a lot of other people who have nothing to do with it," he said. "I am angry about what happened, but that doesn't mean we need to go and take it out on each other." The Canadian Islamic Congress condemned the air-suicide strikes against the U.S. While expressing sympathy for the victims and their families, the organization also urged people not to speculate prematurely about who is to blame. Unfounded suspicion "will only endanger the safety of the ordinary Muslim, both American and Canadian," said Mohamed Elmasry, the organization's national president. Mr. Khan said there are 20,000 Muslims in Metro and more than a billion worldwide. "Bin Laden is a Muslim, but only one of 1.4 billion people. He is somewhere doing his thing, why should we have to suffer on his behalf? ... Do you blame the whole Irish people for terrorism? Do you catch every Irish and say you are a terrorist?" said Mr. Khan. Mr. Khan said the Muslim community has nothing to gain from Tuesday's killings. Some of the victims working at the World Trade Centre and at the Pentagon were likely Muslims, he said. "All this does is give us worse publicity. It makes us the target for vandalism and war and makes our countries vulnerable (to) sanctions." On Wednesday the executive councils of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada and Muslims Against Terrorism issued a press release condemning the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon as "un-Islamic" since Islam forbids killing and injuring innocent civilians. With Joel Jacobson, staff reporter (2 pictures: AP Photo A Muslim woman reads a newspaper with its front page displaying pictures and stories on the deadly terrorist attack on Wednesday and CP Photo Muslims pray at an Islamic foundation mosque in Toronto for the dead and injured in the terrorist attack in New York.)

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
amatullah
09/13/01 at 08:46:51
Bismillah and salam, From the infamous Ontario based Glib and Stale oooops Globe and mail: Day of Infamy Canadian Reaction Muslims fear backlash; Jewish group issues alert By JANE GADD, The Globe and Mail While Canadian Islamic groups warned of a backlash against Muslims after the terror attacks in the United States, a prominent Jewish group demanded stronger measures to keep out pro-Palestinian demonstrators expected in Montreal this weekend. The Canadian Association for Islamic Relations advised all Muslim schools and community centres to go on high security alert yesterday, saying that "the media have already aired interviews with persons who have used phrases like 'Muslim terrorists' and have attributed these vicious attacks to Muslims." While the organization said there is no cause for panic, it urged Muslims in Canada take more caution. B'nai Brith Canada, a Jewish advocacy group, said it was issuing an "urgent alert" to Canadian immigration and security authorities because thousands of demonstrators planned to enter Canada for a mass rally in Montreal on Saturday. Rochelle Wilner, the national president of B'nai Brith, said the demonstration is being organized by a Palestinian student group at Concordia University. She said the university has told the Students for Palestinian Human Rights that it may not hold the rally on campus. In a statement, the Jewish group said yesterday's events in the United States represent a disregard for civilized society. "Today's terrorist attacks throughout the United States have emphasized the vulnerability of all democratic states throughout the world in the face of the ruthless agenda of terrorist groups, those who fund and equip them, and those who provide them with logistic and moral support," it said. "Individuals among these [Montreal] demonstrators may well have links to organizations that espouse, support or implement terrorist activities." Frank Dimant, executive vice-president of B'nai Brith, spoke of reports that some people in the West Bank and Lebanon danced in the streets after hearing of the attacks. He called for "all democracies [to] work together to stamp out terrorism." Leaders of several Muslim groups expressed worry that Canadians won't differentiate between militant extremists and ordinary Muslims and supporters of Palestinians who are horrified by the carnage in the United States. "All Canadian Muslim residents strongly condemn what are apparently vicious and cowardly attacks against innocent human beings," said the Canadian arm of the Islamic Society of North America, which is based in Mississauga, Ont. But while condemning the attacks, the Kitchener, Ont., office of the international Islamic Humanitarian Service grouped "demolition of homes, occupying other people's land . . . and the deliberate assassination of political figures" with hijacking as acts of terrorism. Canadian Jewish Congress president Keith Landy sent condolences to the families of the victims and urged calm while the situation is assessed.

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
destined
09/13/01 at 12:52:34
Anti-arab rally held near Bridgeview mosque By Ron Grossman and Stanley Ziemba, Tribune staff reporters A noisy crowd of young people shouting anti-Arabic insults began a late-night march Wednesday on a Bridgeview mosque but were contained by as many as 125 police officers on a Harlem Avenue streetcorner, where a demonstration lasted past midnight. The incident capped a day in which Muslim leaders publicly pledged their community's loyalty and pleaded for tolerance while some Chicagoans of Middle Eastern descent said they continued to experience harassment in the wake of Tuesday's terrorist attacks. Officials at mosques in Villa Park and Glendale Heights reported vandalism or bomb threats, and police in Buffalo Grove said a resident of Iraqi descent had been threatened by phone. In Palos Heights, a Worth man was charged with a hate crime after he allegedly used a 2-foot machete to attack a gas station attendant he thought was of Arab descent, police said. According to Oak Lawn police, teens began congregating after school let out Wednesday at Oak Lawn High School, 95th Street and Southwest Highway, waving American flags and shouting insults at passing cars occupied by people who appeared to be Arabic. Police dispersed the crowd, which had grown to 300 to 500 people, mostly teens, at around 10 p.m. Wednesday. Some of the young people then regrouped near 95th Street and Harlem Avenue and began marching toward the Bridgeview Mosque Foundation on 93rd Street west of Harlem, in Bridgeview, police said. Bridgeview Police Lt. Tim Callahan said officers allowed the crowd to conduct a peaceful demonstration on the east side of Harlem at 93rd Street, about two block east of the mosque. He said there were three arrests, two for disorderly conduct and one for reckless driving. He said 100 to 125 police officers from Bridgeview and at least eight other departments were on the scene. At an interfaith gathering earlier Wednesday hosted by the Bridgeview Mosque Foundation, Rev. Walter Turlo of St. Fabian Catholic Church urged people not to confuse their Arab neighbors with broadcasts from the Middle East showing jubilant crowds. Two dozen Christian, Muslim and Jewish clergy met at Operation PUSH in Chicago to urge that ethnic groups not be held collectively responsible. "We are part of the American family," said Umar Abdallah of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. "The grief that all of you feel, we also feel today." But one Arab-American student at the University of Illinois at Chicago said Wednesday that when he got to his English class, he found his classmates in a finger-pointing mood. "One girl said she was sure 95 percent of Arabs were terrorists," Ehab Odeh, 18, said. Copyright © 2001, Chicago Tribune

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/14/01 at 03:31:22
Arab Communities in U.S. Both Fear and Face Threats [*] Backlash: From the capital to Gary, Ind., and San Francisco, Muslims are the targets of ethnic slurs and hate calls. Most are keeping a low profile. By ERIC SLATER and REBECCA TROUNSON, Times Staff Writers CHICAGO -- As they have more than once in recent years, many Arab Americans and Muslims are lowering their profiles and locking their doors as vigilantes seek revenge for Tuesday's terrorist attacks. Most of the incidents thus far have been limited to threatening phone calls, ethnic slurs and promises of mayhem sent via letters, notes and voice mail. In one case in Washington, D.C., a note wrapped around a brick was tossed through the window of an Islamic bookstore. Some actions, however, have been even more menacing. Police in Gary, Ind.--an hour south of downtown Chicago--said they were investigating reports that a man in a ski mask had fired numerous rounds from a rifle into a glass-encased booth at a gas station. Inside was Hassan Awdah, a U.S. citizen born in Yemen. In suburban Chicago, more than 300 people, mostly teenagers, gathered late Wednesday and early Thursday in a rowdy pro-U.S. rally that made its way to a nearby Islamic center--and quickly took on the feel of an anti-Arab gathering. About 20 police agencies sent units to the scene, and three people were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct. "I'm proud to be American, and I hate Arabs and I always have," said 19-year-old Colin Zaremba, who marched with the group in the suburb of Oak Lawn. Islamic Leaders Urge Restraint The incidents piled up Thursday, with Muslim schools from coast to coast closing their doors as a precaution. There are 3.5 million Arab Americans. And leaders across the nation pleaded with Americans not to lump all Arabs with the extremists believed responsible for crashing airliners into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. "Our nation must be mindful that there are thousands of Arab Americans who live in New York City who love their flag," President Bush said Thursday. His father--who made enemies as well as friends in the Arab world during the Persian Gulf War against Iraq--seconded that plea. "We've got to be tolerant," former President Bush said. "We should be mindful that these were not the acts of all Muslims, who--like Christians and Jews--believe in a God of love and mercy. Rather, these were senseless murders, committed by religious extremists who kill out of hate." As leaders spoke, however, the Arab American Institute in Washington was being guarded both by district police and private security after a series of threats, said the group's president, James J. Zogby. One of the threats was personal and was left on the answering machine, he said: "Jim, you towel-head, I'll slit your throat and kill your kids." "The problem here is the assumption of collective guilt," Zogby said, "the assumption that all Muslims or all Arabs condone [terrorism.]" In San Francisco, the Minority Assistance Service, which helps Muslims with immigration matters, received a death threat Thursday, as well as several crank calls. "He said, 'I am going to kill all of you,' " said Xequina Berber, a 48-year-old paralegal there. Another caller "cursed Allah," she said. The day before, police said, someone threw a plastic bag, apparently containing pig's blood, against the front door of the office. A man phoned just as the bag was tossed, saying: "Is this the Islamic community center?" Berber recalled. "There's a package for [Osama] bin Laden in front of the building." Officials at the Garden Grove office of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee said they had received seven venomous calls since the attacks Tuesday. In one, a man, his voice shaking with rage, said any sympathy he once felt for Middle Easterners was gone. "I hope you all die and burn in hell," he screamed. The group's regional director, Michel Shehadeh, said the calls have heightened the jitters already felt by his staff members--who clearly were aware of the chilling potential of racial hatred. In 1985, the committee's executive director, Alex Odeh, was killed by a bomb attached to the door of the office, which was then in Santa Ana. No charges were filed in the case, although federal officials named former Jewish Defense League activist Robert Manning as the prime suspect. Manning, extradited from Israel in 1993, was convicted that year of complicity in a previous bombing death and was a suspect in others. A 'Double Jeopardy' for Arab Community The possibility that the group may become a target again "is on our minds every day," said Shehadeh, adding that neighbors in the Garden Grove office building also worry about their proximity during times of tension. "Every time one of these things happens, the Arab American community has to reaffirm its loyalty to the [United States] all over again," said Shehadeh, 45. "We see it ev ery time; the anger builds up and we get the threats. "It's double jeopardy," Shehadeh continued. "We share all the emotions that other citizens have, but we can't mourn and grieve normally because all these fingers are pointed at us." By late Thursday, however, most Americans were expressing the desire for measured, even patient, justice--not vengeance against innocents. "So far, so good," said Shami Akram, a volunteer at the Islamic Center of Southern California. "We haven't experienced any violent reaction, except some telephone calls. But we understand that. We understand some people are outraged. But we try to explain it was a group. The entire Arabic or Muslim community should not be held responsible for this."

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
amatullah
09/14/01 at 16:44:46
Bismillah and salam, The attacks are increasing here in Canada. A sister in hijab was on the tv and said in her neighbourhood in toronto a muslim woman was beaten up as she was going ot pick her daughter up. the mosque in saint catherine there was set ablaze. I expect as the people stop mourning they will replace it with anger and revenge that is totally misdirected at us. la 7awla wala quwata illa bilah. 7asbuna Allah wa ni3ma ilwakeel.

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
Saleema
09/14/01 at 21:11:55
Arrests, rumour and false alarms as manhunt spans the world Investigations By Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles, Jason Bennetto, and Frances Kennedy in Rome 15 September 2001 An increasingly jittery investigation into Tuesday's attacks on New York and Washington, and the network of suicide bombers behind them, spread around the world as police in at least eight countries swooped on members of Islamist groups suspected of ties to Osama bin Laden and his al-Qa'ida guerrilla group. The frenzy of police activity included the arrest of six alleged activists in Belgium and the Netherlands, four of whom were picked up following an intelligence tip that they might be planning a strike against American targets in Europe. In Italy, police reopened an investigation into the theft of a pilot's uniform, a badge and two US passports from American Airline employees last April. In Manila, American and Filipino authorities raided a hotel following reports that three men with Omani passports were seen videotaping the US Embassy across the street. A key arrest in the 1993 bombing of New York's World Trade Centre was made at the same hotel. The hunt for associates of Mr bin Laden, named as the chief suspect in the attacks by the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, continued in Germany, where one man was arrested earlier this week and a young woman taken in for questioning, and also spread to Mexico and France. In Britain, anti-terrorist officers and security service agents said they were tracking suspected members of al- Qa'ida but believed they had gone into hiding since Tuesday. In the United States, meanwhile, there were increasing signs of panic as a flurry of arrests, airport closures and reports of possible new suicide hijacking attacks appeared to be the result of over-reaction or unreliable initial leads. Ten people of Middle Eastern origin detained at John F Kennedy airport in New York on Thursday night – a threat taken seriously enough to prompt the closure of all airports in the area – were exonerated and released yesterday. Joseph Biden, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, explained that the panic that was prompted by their apprehension was the result of a series of coincidences. One belligerent man who insisted on being allowed on to a full plane turned out to be just that – belligerent and nothing more. A man in an American Airlines uniform turned out to be an American Airlines employee on his way to a Boeing conference. Another man thought to be carrying a fake pilot's licence turned out to be a bona fide pilot carrying his brother's identity papers as well as his own. Mr Biden told reporters: "His brother happened to live in an apartment complex that was one in Boston where some of these people had actually been. Totally, totally coincidental." There was also a melodramatic car chase in Staten Island that turned out to be a hunt for a phantom. In Florida, meanwhile, a flight engineer for Saudi Arabian Airlines, Adnan Bukhari, was cleared of suspicion after he passed a lie- detector test and evidence emerged that his identity might have been misappropriated by the hijackers. His name, along with that of his dead brother, was apparently picked up from a rental car left at an airport in Portland, Maine, and appeared to match another Bukhari questioned following the police raid in the Philippines. There is growing evidence that the semi-autonomous cells that planned and executed Tuesday's attacks used a variety of subterfuges and decoys to fool investigators, including fake identities, false or altered passports, and even disguises. Historically, this has often been part of the modus operandi of guerrilla networks structured by semi-autonomous cells. The precise nationalities of the dead hijackers have yet to be pinned down, as have their relationships to one another. There are many similar names in circulation and reports of several sets of brothers, but these have not been established with any precision. It is not known how many of the hijackers knew each other, or whether they were aware of any more of the plot than their own specific part in it. The latest intelligence from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, reported in yesterday's Los Angeles Times, suggests that up to 30 people were fully trained and ready to die for their cause. John Ashcroft, the Attorney General, has said 19 hijackers had actually gone into action, suggesting that there are another 12 at large, as well as a further 20-odd suspected accomplices. Investigators are very worried about the possibility of another attack. In addition to the arrests in New York, two men were detained in Forth Worth, Texas, on Wednesday after they were found on an Amtrak train with box-cutting knives. The FBI has not ruled out the possibility that there was a plan to hijack a fifth plane at Dallas/Fort Worth airport. New evidence has also emerged that Tuesday's attacks were five years or more in the planning. FBI agents investigating the records of flight schools in Florida attended by the hijackers have discovered that some of them were enrolled as early as 1997, and had probably submitted applications the previous year. It also appeared that at least five of the 10 hijackers who boarded planes in Boston had claimed links to Saudi Arabian Airlines and had thus ducked some of the standard security clearance checks for Middle Easterners. Chuck Clapper, the owner of an air charter company in Lantana, Florida, told the Boston Globe that several Florida flying schools have contracts with Saudi Arabian Airlines that enable them to bypass much of the red tape involved in obtaining visas for their students. Asked if Arabs who seek to enter the United States need to seek State Department clearance, Mr Clapper said: "Saudis don't. Iranians do. Libyans do. But the Saudis are allies, so they don't." The Saudi cover may have enabled one of the dead hijackers, Mohamad Atta, to deflect attention from the fact that he was wanted in Israel in connection with a bus bombing in 1986. Had that fact come to light, he would almost certainly have been turned down for a visa. The Saudi connection was picked by Laurence Eagleburger, the former Secretary of State, who said yesterday that the United States had been far too lenient on its erstwhile Gulf War ally and needed to get tough about possible indulgences by the Saudis of terrorist activity. Such criticisms and recriminations are becoming more common as the days pass, as are knee-jerk responses to skin colour and nationality by US law enforcement officials supposedly banned from indulging in "racial profiling". One passenger at JFK, Mike Glass of Seattle, told The New York Times: "Anyone with dark skin or who spoke with an accent was taken aside and searched. And then they went to any male with too much facial hair."
NS

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/15/01 at 00:56:51
RECENT THREATS LEAD POLICE TO GUARD CITY'S MOSQUES By Ian Ith and Dave Birkland, The Seattle Times, 9/14/2001 seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134341231_hatecrime14m.html Police in SeaTac last night arrested a California man who attacked an Indian taxicab driver and tore out part of the man's beard as he accused the driver of being a terrorist. A 53-year-old Snohomish County man was in jail this morning after he poured gasoline on a Seattle mosque near Northgate, pointed a gun at members of the mosque, then crashed his car as he attempted to flee. And King County prosecutors are considering a hate-crime charge against a Seattle man who allegedly stormed into a South Seattle mosque Tuesday evening and threatened to burn it down because of the terrorist attacks on the East Coast... ---- MUSLIM LEADERS PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER (WASHINGTON-DC, 9/14/2001) - A national American Muslim leader today provided the opening prayer at a "National Day of Prayer and Remembrance" ceremony at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., attended by President George W. Bush. Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, President of the Indiana-based Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), read verses from the Quran, Islam's revealed text, and expressed Muslim grief for those who were killed or injured in the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on September 11. Dr. Siddiqi quoted chapter 35, verse 10 of the Quran that states: "If any do seek for glory and power, to God belongs all glory and power. To Him mount up all words of purity. He exalts all righteous deeds. But those that lay the plots of evil, for them is a terrible penalty; and the plotting of such will not abide." Other Muslim leaders taking part in the invitation-only event included Omar Ahmad and Nihad Awad, board chairman and executive director respectively of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a prominent Washington-based Islamic advocacy group. Representatives from other member groups in the American Muslim Political Coordination Council (AMPCC) also took part in the nationally televised event. (The AMPCC consists of American Muslim Alliance, American Muslim Council, Council on American-Islamic Relations, and Muslim Public Affairs Council.) "American Muslims share the same sense of grief and loss felt by all Americans during this time of national crisis. We were honored to join the president in expressing support for the families of those who were killed or injured in these horrible attacks," said Ahmad. Ahmad added that American Muslims have an added burden because they not only feel the pain of all Americans, but are also experiencing the fear and apprehension caused by unjustified harassment based on anti-Muslim hysteria and scapegoating. There are an estimated seven million Muslims in America and some 1.2 billion worldwide.                                         - END - CONTACT:        TEL: 202-488-8787                 E-Mail - cair@cair-net.org  ----- AMPCC URGES MUSLIMS TO OBTAIN LETTERS OF SUPPORT AMPCC has issued a call to all Muslim communities, urging them to obtain from their elected officials letters condemning any attacks on Muslim Americans in the wake of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. A host of American political leaders, including President George W. Bush, have urged Americans to refrain from any reactionary attacks against Muslims during this emotionally charged period. AMPCC requests each community to obtain from officials letters stating that, in this time of crisis our nation must not only resist the temptation to stereotype Muslims, but should also recognize the great contribution that Muslims are making to American society. Such statements should also express their full support for the constitutional rights and protection of Muslim Americans. Copies of all such letters obtained should be sent to the AMPCC office, where they will be compiled along with other letters received, and then disseminated to the media, elected officials and others. ACTION REQUESTED: Send letter of support from elected officials to: American Muslim Political Coordination Council 3010 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 217 Los Angeles, CA 90010 TEL: 213-383-3443 FAX: 213-383-9674 ----- SENATE PASSES RESOLUTION AGAINST ANTI-MUSLIM DISCRIMINATION The U.S. Senate last night passed a resolution, sponsored by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), stating that: "...in the quest to identify, bring to justice, and punish the perpetrators and sponsors of the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, that the civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans, including Arab-Americans and American Muslims, should be protected; and condemns any acts of violence or discrimination against any Americans, including Arab-Americans and American Muslims." (The resolution, an amendment to the Commerce, Justice and state Appropriations bill, passed 98-0.) A similar resolution has been introduced in the House.

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/15/01 at 00:57:36
BUSH, ASHCROFT CONDEMN ANTI-MUSLIM HYSTERIA Other officials join in rejecting attacks on Muslims and Arab-Americans (WASHINGTON, DC - 9/13/2001) - A prominent American Muslim advocacy group today applauded remarks by President Bush, Attorney General John Ashcroft and other government officials condemning attacks on American Muslims and Arab-Americans in the wake of terrorist incidents in New York and Washington, D.C. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says anti-Muslim attacks have included vandalism and shootings at American Islamic centers, threats against Muslim institutions and attacks on individuals who are identifiably Muslim. In a phone conversation today with New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, President Bush (president@whitehouse.gov) said: "...we must be mindful that as we -- as we seek to win the war [against terrorism], that we treat Arab-Americans and Muslims with the respect they deserve. I know that is your attitude as well, certainly the attitude of this government, that we should not hold one who is a Muslim responsible for an act of terror." In a news conference today, Attorney General John Ashcroft (AskDOJ@usdoj.gov) said: "Since Tuesday the Justice Department has received reports of violence and threats of violence against Arab-Americans and other Americans of Middle Eastern and South Asian descents.  We must not descend to the level of those who perpetrated Tuesday's violence by targeting individuals based on their race, their religion, or their national origin.  Such reports of violence and threats are in direct opposition to the very principles and laws of the United States and will not be tolerated." Just after the attacks, Mayor Giuliani said: "Nobody should blame any group of people or any nationality or any ethnic group. The particular individuals responsible or the groups responsible, that's up to law enforcement and it's up to the United States government to figure out. And citizens of New York should, even if they have anger, which is understandable, and very, very strong emotions about this, it isn't their place to get involved in this. Then they're just participating in the kind of activity we just witnessed. And New Yorkers are not like that." Other elected officials, including Rep. Tom Davis (202-225-1492) of Virginia issued similar statements. Rep. Davis said: "Anyone who resorts to acts of violence against Arab-Americans and/or American Muslims is giving the perpetrators of these heinous acts exactly what they wanted. Now more than ever, Americans of all ethnic and religious backgrounds must stand tall together in defense of our rich diversity and in defiance of those who seek to tear apart the American fabric." Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia (202-225-4376) wrote: "...our nation must resist the dark temptation toward human prejudice as the investigation of these events unfolds...No religious or ethnic group in our diverse society - including Arab Americans and Muslim Americans should be made to suffer because of fanatics half a world away." "American Muslims appreciate these expressions of support from government officials and believe these statements will help to reintroduce a tone of tolerance in our society," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. There are an estimated seven million Muslims in American and some 1.2 billion worldwide.

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/15/01 at 01:18:53
NEW YORK (CNN) -- By Friday, many of the city's schools, offices and businesses had reopened. But Rabyaah Al-Thaibani says her family isn't opening its grocery store on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn for now. Rabyaah says her uncle was threatened with violence by one of his suppliers on Thursday. The supplier was angered by Tuesday's terrorist strikes, suspected to have been carried out by people of Arabic origin. "He said he would kill my uncle and the whole family if we didn't watch out," Rabyaah says. "We are all pretty terrified to walk out right now." Hussein Ibish, communications director for the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee in Washington, says the Arab-American community "is keeping its head down for the moment." "People from the community just don't want to be conspicuous right now." Being inconspicuous for most members of the community means staying home, not going to work, not even going out to shop. But Rabyaah does come out, to volunteer at the Arab-American Family Support Center in Brooklyn, where she works as a counselor. Since Tuesday, the support center has received hundreds of calls from Arab-Americans who have been threatened by people who blame the community for the attacks. The center also has documented reports of physical assault in the Atlantic Avenue area, which has a large population of Americans from Yemen, Lebanon and other Arab nations. Brooklyn police say they have made a note of several complaints and are doing their best to keep Arab-Americans safe. Ibish says he has lost count of the number of death threats and other hate messages he has received personally since Tuesday. Local police now guard his office and walk him to and from work every day. Ibish says that is heartening -- and he also is grateful to policemen in Illinois, who stopped an angry mob from attacking a mosque in Bridgefield, Illinois, on Wednesday night. It's a problem that prompted President Bush to make a strong statement during a conference call with New York Gov. George Pataki and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. "Our nation must be mindful that there are thousands of Arab-Americans who live in New York City," he said, "who love their flag just as much as the three of us do, and we must be mindful that as we seek to win the war that we treat Arab-Americans and Muslims with the respect they deserve." It's a message that 17-year-old Roula Abu Hassan says her teacher at school missed today. She says her health teacher told her class at a high school in Brooklyn that "Palestinian children all want to become terrorists." Both Roula and her mother Saud Abu Hassan, who moved to the United States from the Palestinian territories, are visibly upset by the statement and want the teacher to apologize. And as the U.S. Justice Department releases the name of 19 suspected hijackers, all of whom are Muslims with Middle Eastern backgrounds, members of the community say they worry that attacks against anyone bearing similar names may now increase.

MP warns of creating '10,000 Bin Ladens'
ahmer
09/15/01 at 08:02:05
MP warns of creating '10,000 Bin Ladens' http://www.guardian.co.uk/wtccrash/story/0,1300,552101,00.html Staff and agencies Friday September 14, 2001 Parliament's most outspoken critic of the US today made an impassioned speech, warning the west that it risked creating "10,000 Osama bin Ladens" in the Middle East. George Galloway, the Labour MP for Glasgow Kelvin who has made several trips to Iraq in the last decade as part of the campaign against sanctions, said the "monumental double standards" were behind the reaction to the US terrorist attacks. He said: "I have walked in the ashes of cities under aerial attack, buildings under aerial attack. "People being crushed by falling masonry and steel or incinerated by fire from aerial attack look, sound and smell exactly the same whether they are in Beirut, the West Bank, Baghdad or Manhattan. "Arabs and Muslims believe, and they are right to believe, that we do not consider their blood as valuable as our own - as our policy in decades of our history makes abundantly clear." Mr Galloway was by far the most audacious in questioning the all-party consensus which had enveloped the Commons during today's emergency debate on the atrocities. Mr Galloway prefaced his remarks with praise of the US and New York, but, speaking without notes, he told a rapt chamber: "I despise Osama bin Laden, the medieval obscurantist savage. The difference is I have always despised Osama bin Laden. I despised him when weapons, money and political and diplomatic support was being stuffed down his throat faster than he could eat it. "I said in this building that though I might be the last man in this building prepared to say it, that we had been responsible for opening the gates to the barbarians and that a long dark night would now descend upon Afghanistan. Never did I speak truer words." Mr Galloway lashed out at the thinking that this was "a conflict between the forces of good and a helpfully turbaned and bearded Doctor Evil Mephistophelian genius who if only we could ker-pow in action man comic style, everything would be fine again. It is not so." He added: "Don't mistake that for the feelings of literally tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people in Arab and Muslim countries that we are responsible for monumental double standards, and that we consider the lives of our own people and our friends of a fundamentally different order of value to the lives of themselves." Mr Galloway urged the government to exercise caution in its support of America's response to the tragedy. He said: "We are the friends of the Americans. It is no service to a friend to write them a blank cheque. That would not be doing a service to the world or to the United States of America. "The only test that matters in this is the test of whether the action will make matters better or worse. If you launch a devastating attack upon a Muslim country, killing thousands you will make 10,000 Bin Ladens rise up instead of the one whose head you have cut off." The consequences of bombing Afghanistan would be to kill civilians and to create more refugees and asylum seekers, he warned MPs. Mr Galloway said: "I don't know what you will bomb in Afghanistan, the Stone Age country that we helped to create. There's nothing there to bomb - the only thing to hit in Afghanistan is people. And every slain Afghan will be a new banner for new Bin Ladens." The suffering of the tens of thousands of people who had lost relatives or friends in this week's atrocities, should be measured against an on-going situation in Iraq, he said. "If 5,000 people have died in Manhattan, even if 10,000 people have died in Manhattan and Washington and Pittsburgh, that represents less than two months of the number of children who have died in Iraq every single month of every single year for 11 years, according to the United Nations themselves," Mr Galloway said. "The Muslims don't believe you care about that. Today as we are speaking they don't believe that you care about them, in some respects they are right."

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
destined
09/17/01 at 13:57:41
ACTS OF MISPLACED ANGER In the days following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, there have been jumerous incidents of threats and attacks upon Arabs and Muslims in the United States and around the world.. Some of the incidents -- Ardsely, N.Y. An Arab American deli owner was verbally abused and then sprayed with pepper spray. -- New Orleans The Jefferson Parish public school system was closed down due to attacks on Arab and Muslim students. -- Rockville, MD. A rug company was set on fire following threatening phone calls to its Palestinian and Iranian owners. -- Denton, Texas A Molotov cocktail was tossed against the side of the Islamic Society of Denton, causing an estimated $2,500 in damage. -- Huntington, N.Y. A drunken man tried to run over a Pakistani woman, then followed her into a store and threatened to kill her for "destroying my country." -- Gary, Ind. A man in a ski mask fired an assault rifle at a gas station where Hassan Awdah, a U.S. citizen born in Yemen, was working.. -- Chicago and suburbs Two Muslim girls are beaten at Moraine Valley College. A man attacked a Moroccan gas station attendant with the blunt end of a machete. A firebomb was tossed at an Arab American community center. Police turned back 300 protestors as they tried to march to a mosque. . Elsewhere -- Oakville, Ontario, Canada: Five schoolchildren with Arabic-sounding names were assaulted. -- Australia: A school bus carrying Muslim children was stoned. An attempt was made to set fire to a Lebanese church. Sources: Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee; compiled from AP wire reports San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Ryan Kim contributed to this report.Reprinted from the Chronicle

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/19/01 at 01:34:23
slm, I need some ppl to help me do 2 things. One is put together a list of all the anti-muslim hate crimes reportered in the media so far in the format of a brief line or two and the source and second a list of muslim victims of the bombings... can anyone help on this? it's stuff u can do for your computer and may take an hour or so of research? let me know inshallah jazakallah khair

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
destined
09/19/01 at 16:03:46
Bush meets Muslim leaders in mosque; Condemns anti-Arab crime, which has led to two deaths Bush meets Muslim leaders in mosque; Condemns anti-Arab crime, which has led to two deaths Tuesday, September 18, 2001 By Ann McFeatters, Post-Gazette National Bureau WASHINGTON -- Alarmed by a wave of anti-Muslim violence and harassment around the country, President Bush yesterday went to an Islamic mosque to say Americans who take out their anger on innocent fellow citizens should be ashamed of themselves. Urging respect for Muslims while speaking at the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C., Bush became the latest federal official to plead with the public not to target Arab-Americans and Muslims out of fear and anger in the wake of last Tuesday's terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Adhering to Muslim custom, Bush removed his shoes as he spent 50 minutes touring the mosque and admiring its Turkish tiles, oriental rugs and ornate chandeliers and high domes. He spoke with a number of Muslim community leaders. He said it's important for Americans to understand that the Islamic religion forbids violence against innocent individuals and that Muslims in America are just as outraged as anyone else by the terrorism against Americans. The Bush administration believes that Saudi exile Osama bin Laden, an Islamic militant believed to be hiding in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, was responsible for planning the attacks last week. In an effort to make his point that intolerance is viewed as immoral in the Islamic religion, Bush quoted from the sacred book of Islam, the Koran: "In the long run, evil in the extreme will be the end of those who do evil. For that they rejected the signs of Allah and held them up to ridicule." He said he's been told that many Muslim women, who must cover their heads by religious dictate, are now afraid to go outside their homes, even to do grocery shopping. "That is not the America I know. That's not the America I value," Bush admonished. "America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country. Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, members of the military, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, moms and dads. And they need to be treated with respect. In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect." He added, "Women who cover their heads in this country must feel comfortable going outside their homes. Moms who wear cover must be not intimidated in America." Bush said those who take out their anger against innocent fellow citizens "represent the worst of humankind, and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior." He said: "This is a great country. It's a great country because we share the same values of respect and dignity and human worth." Yusuf Saleem of the Muslim American Society thanked Bush and said, "The root word [of Muslim] is peace. We are all shocked and dismayed [at the terrorist attacks]. Our religion has peace as its ultimate aim. We are part of the fabric of America." The Council on American-Islamic Relations yesterday said that over the weekend there were two killings believed to be related to an anti-Muslim backlash. In Dallas, a Pakistani Muslim storeowner was shot and killed in Dallas, and the FBI has joined the investigation of that slaying. Three mosques in the city also have reportedly been hit by bullets or homemade firebombs. In Phoenix, Prosecutor Rick Romley has charged Frank Silva Roque in a shooting rampage Saturday targeting minorities, in which Mesa, Ariz., gas station owner Balbir Singh Sodhi was killed. He was a Sikh, a Hindu religious sect founded in India. "Mr. Sodhi was killed for no other apparent reason than that he was dark-skinned and wore a turban," Romley said. Roque, 42, was jailed on $1 million bail and charged with murder. In a police report read to The Associated Press yesterday, Roque was quoted as telling officers: "I'm an American. Arrest me. Let those terrorists run wild." In Parma, Ohio, police said a 29-year-old man smashed his car through the entrance of the Islamic Center of Greater Cleveland early yesterday. No one was in the mosque at the time, but a mosque spokesman said there was more than $100,000 in damage. Police said Eric Richley of Middleburg Heights, Ohio, hurtled his car at 80 mph through the front of the center shortly after midnight, landing on top of a fountain. He was taken to a local hospital, where his condition was not immediately disclosed. The mosque spokesman said it had received numerous threats and had added extra security since last week's deadly attacks on New York and Washington. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said there have been several hundred incidents of threats, discrimination and violence against Muslims since the last Tuesday's attacks. The Associated Press and Reuters News Service contributed to this report.

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
meraj
09/19/01 at 22:06:10
slm, grrrr :( they just showed this special on the discovery channel.. it was about terrorism... that was one of the most disgustingly biased, hateful pieces of propoganda ive seen so far... it angered me to watch it.. anyone else see it? ???

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/21/01 at 15:59:31
Racial backlash flares at colleges September 21, 2001 Posted: 12:24 PM EDT (1624 GMT) ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Across the country, universities have become a focal point of anger directed against Arab-American, Muslim and Southeast Asian students in response to last week's terror attacks against the United States. Women students have been spat at and had their traditional hijab scarves pulled off. Male students have had turbans plucked from their heads or been targeted because of their beards. "People have yelled, 'You people are going to die,' 'The Holy War has begun,' and 'Go home,' even at those who've been born in San Jose," said Altaf Husein, president of the Muslim Students Association of the United States and Canada. Early Sunday morning, a Boston University student was stabbed in the back and arms after leaving an off-campus fundraiser for victims of the World Trade Center attacks. Police are investigating whether it was a hate crime. No arrests have been made. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee says it has compiled a list of more than 250 violent incidences on college campuses in the last week, from direct threats of specific violence to beatings and assault and battery. The number of incidents has surpassed those received during the Gulf War and the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. "These are not 'go back to your country' types of harassment, but crimes that have to be dealt with by cops on and off campus," said Hussein Ibish, director of the ADC. "The university is kind of a dangerous place to be for people perceived as Arabs and Muslims right now." Even Latino and African-American students are being targeted. Ibish says the committee itself has received thousands of hate calls and e-mail threats, requiring it to have police protection. The day of the attacks, the University of Colorado at Boulder sent out an e-mail message to 34,000 students and faculty urging people not to take anger out on minorities. The school set up counselors in 19 locations and mobilized local and campus ministers. Professors were urged to spend class time discussing what happened. Faculty members met with Muslim students to discuss safety concerns. Residence halls invited campus police to discuss what to do in the case of harassment or violence. The University's Student Union even passed a resolution condemning any person who retaliates against a student, faculty or staff member. On Tuesday night, four men dressed in black approached a Muslim student of Arab descent as he was walking near the University of Colorado's library. "They asked him, 'What are you doing in this country?' and used racial epithets," said Lt. Mitchell Irving, of the campus police. The next morning, each of the library's six columns were discovered spray-painted with graffiti: "Arabs Go Home," "Nuke sand n-----rs" and "Blow up Afghanistan" on a nearby bench. Ironically, the motto etched in stone above the library's columns is: "Enter here the timeless fellowship of the human spirit." The university quickly covered the columns with garbage bags and sandblasted the graffiti away. "You hear people making comments that 'they should all be put in concentration camps,' totally random comments from fellow students. Or you hear somebody in class say, 'We need to hit them hard.' And I ask, hit whom, hit where?" said Amina Nawaz, president of the Muslim Students Association, who was born in Boulder. "The campus is an intellectual place to be in. Most people here are here to learn and aren't ignorant. But ignorant people are everywhere. You can't get away from it." The University of Colorado has set up a series of lectures to discuss the breakdown of stereotypes. On Monday, it will host a five-hour teach-in, with professors from religious studies, political science, history, economics, and journalism. "It will be like a love-in from the '60's," said Bobbi Barrow, executive director of University Communications. Audience members will get to ask questions on issues ranging from the consequences of last week's attacks on the Middle East to the media's role in shaping perceptions. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee says much of the intolerance can be reduced simply by learning more about Arab and Muslim Americans and Islam. "Students need an institutional response," said Marvin Wingfield, education director of the ADC. "Students can also make sure others are not isolated or stigmatized. You can call friends to see how they're doing. And if they're not in school, you can let them know they're your friend and that you're sorry about what's happening." On Wednesday night, more graffiti was uncovered at the University of Colorado at Boulder. "They were anti-racist," said campus police lieutenant Tim McGraw. "'An eye for an eye leaves us blind,' 'Say no to hate' over a dove and peace symbol." He added that the graffiti artist still wouldn't escape criminal mischief charges if caught.

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
jannah
09/23/01 at 23:59:48
Muslims: We're victims, too By Ken Maguire, Associated Press, 9/23/2001 12:13 BOSTON (AP) Haleema Salie is twice a victim of the terrorist attacks. First, her daughter seven months pregnant and son-in-law were killed when their flight from Boston was hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center. Then, while some people showed Salie compassion, others showed contempt. When it came time for relatives to travel to Boston from around the world for her daughter's memorial, airline officials were slow to approve their weekend flights, one relative said, in part because they are Muslim. Muslim, like the suspected terrorists. And like her daughter and son-in-law. ''I would like everyone to know that,'' Salie said. ''We would like people to know that we are Muslims and my daughter and son-in-law were Muslims. They were victims, too.'' Rahma Salie, 28, and her husband, Michael Theodoridis, 32, of Boston, were headed to a wedding in California when their American Flight 11 was taken over by terrorists. Farah Salie, Rahma's 23-year-old sister, said being Muslim and having a relative on American Flight 11 caused problems for relatives, who were nearly prevented from attending the memorial service last week at Wellesley College. ''We understand that they were being extra cautious,'' she said. ''It was just unnecessary and aggravating. That day was hell for my parents.'' Theodoridis, called ''Micky'' by friends, was Greek by birth but grew up Switzerland, where his family currently lives. He was a graduate of Boston University and worked as an information technology consultant. He gladly converted to Islam three years ago to marry his love, Rahma. ''They were devoted people. They were very kind and very generous,'' said Hameed Khan, former religious director of the Wayland-based Islamic Center of Boston. ''The whole family is very kind and very good people.'' Khan, now retired, oversaw the wedding and Theodoridis' conversion ceremony. He recalled Rahma's father, Ysuf, telling him that his daughter and son-in-law ''took good care of him.'' The Salie family, originally of Sri Lanka, has been in the gem trade for several generations. Rahma earned a degree in International Relations and Japanese Studies from Wellesley and worked as a program coordinator for a Cambridge high-tech company. ''They were like part of our family,'' Khan said. ''I just can't control my tears.'' Khan's tears don't flow just for the lost couple. He and other Islamic leaders are also upset about reports of violence against Muslims since the hijackings. Much of the violence and profiling stem from ignorance of Islam, which means ''submission'' to God, said Dr. Sayed Asif Razvik of the Islamic Center of Boston where Rahma and Michael were married, and memorialized. ''Islam is a religion of peace,'' Razvi said. ''We want to reach out and educate Americans to this fact.'' For the family of Rahma and Michael, and for many other Muslims, the sadness is complicated by fear and anger. ''We are citizens. We are part of this country,'' said Dr. Yousef Abou-Allaban, a psychiatrist who is active with the Islamic Society of Boston. ''We feel Muslims have double mourning.'' Part of the problem, Muslim leaders say, are the media. The phrases ''Islamic militant'' or ''Islamic terrorist'' often precede mentions of Osama bin Laden in newspapers and broadcasts. ''If you are a Catholic who bombs an abortion clinic, clearly you have religious motivations but you're not called a 'Catholic' terrorist,'' said Ali Asani, a professor of Islamic studies at Harvard University who knows the Salie family. Laila El-Haddad, 23, a masters student at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and graduate adviser for the Harvard Islamic Society, said many Muslim women at Harvard have stayed indoors at night since the attacks. ''We have to grieve but also look over our shoulders,'' she said. ''People assume there's some kind of monopoly on grief.''

Mosque torched in Brisbane Australia
jannah
09/25/01 at 00:38:31
Mosque torched in Brisbane Australia By IAN HABERFIELD in Brisbane http://heraldsun.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,2914959%255E662,00.html 23 September 2001 QUEENSLAND - Premier Peter Beattie has pleaded for religious tolerance after a suspected arson attack destroyed a Brisbane mosque yesterday. Youths were seen fleeing as the blaze destroyed the timber and iron building on Brisbane's south side. The blaze was reported by a taxi driver just after 3am. It follows a fire bomb attack on a mosque in the city's south, a week ago and reports of an Islamic students' bus being stoned shortly after the attacks on New York and Washington on September 11. A police taskforce has been set up to investigate threats to the Muslim community. Queensland Fire and Rescue Authority area director Tim Beckett said it would take time to find the cause of the blaze because the mosque had been destroyed. Mr Beattie, who visited the burnt out mosque yesterday, said: "We will not accept acts of violence of this kind. "What we need to be aware of is that those who committed those crimes in the United States are terrorists and murderers. You can't blame any one religion for that." Mosque trustee Yusuf Limbada said Muslims had been abused and threatened since the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11. "We have feared something like this and have had someone sleeping there overnight," Mr Limbada said. "Last night, they were out getting a cup of tea when the fire started. "Since the tragedy in America we have been threatened, abused and had rocks thrown at our buildings. It's sad because this is a place of worship. "The great majority of Australians have been very supportive but there is always that minority . . . they just don't understand what we stand for. "Many of us are second and third generation Australians and, like everyone else, we were appalled by what happened in America." Police fear further incidents. "We're worried that other lame-brains may try copycat attacks," a police source said yesterday. "Feelings are running high in the Muslim community. "There's a fear that they, mainly the younger Muslims, may hit out in retaliation. "We understand their anger but that's the last thing any of us needs." About 250 Muslims, left without a place of worship, will pray outdoors until a new building is completed. Prime Minister John Howard said yesterday he was horrified by the arson attack on the mosque and warned against acts of vandalism and vilification. "There is no place in Australia for that kind of despicable conduct," he said. "Islamic Australians are as entitled, as I am, to a place in this community. "We must not allow our natural anger at the extremes of Islam which have been manifested in the attack on the World Trade Centre to spill over to Islamic people generally."

Muslim considers leaving country after frequent rumors, harassment
ahmer
09/25/01 at 19:29:53
Muslim doctor in Harlan reports threatening fax Internist considers leaving country after frequent rumors, harassment By Lee Mueller EASTERN KENTUCKY BUREAU Dr. Ahmad H. Ahmad left Harlan yesterday to visit his family in Jordan. He expects to return in about three weeks, but is not certain whether he will stay. Not now. Ahmad, one of several Muslim doctors who have established practices in Eastern Kentucky in the last 30 years, appears to be the first to report local harassment since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Ahmad, a bearded 36-year-old internist, says he has been the target of unfounded rumors and threats, at least one of which he reported to state police. ``I know this is nothing compared to the people who lost loved ones in these attacks, but it is very uncomfortable,'' said Ahmad, who has lived in Harlan County since 1994. Concerned patients have bombarded him with phone calls, night and day, asking him about stories they were hearing, he said. Is it true he is Osama bin Laden's cousin? Did the alleged terrorist leader pay his way through medical school? Has he, or his computer files, been seized by the FBI? More troubling, a spokesman for Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital said yesterday, is that someone used a fax machine there to send Ahmad's office an implied death threat -- a photograph of a bearded man wearing a turban, with a target on his forehead that says, ``Shoot to Kill.'' ``We haven't determined specifically who sent it,'' hospital spokesman Mark Bell said, ``but we know the machine that was used and the time of day, so from that point, it wasn't hard to figure some things out.'' Ahmad, who moved from Jordan to the United States in 1990, said there are probably 10 other Muslim doctors in Harlan County. ``I think I'm the one with the longest beard,'' he said, ``and I'm not shy to show that I'm a Muslim. On Fridays, which is our holiday, I wear the long robe and sometimes I wear a cap on my head. I'm more identified as a Muslim than other folks.'' Ahmad said he came to Harlan in 1994 to meet visa requirements to serve two years in a medically underserved area, and decided to stay. He conceded that recent experiences have made him consider moving. ``If people continue to associate me with those extremists, then my status could be jeopardized,'' he said. ``And if I decide to leave here, I don't think I ought to stay in this country.'' http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/092501/hstatedocs/25terror-ahmad.htm Reach Lee Mueller at (606) 789-4800 or lmueller1@herald-leader.com

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
ahmer
09/27/01 at 00:01:02
http://www.theadvocate.com/news/story.asp?StoryID=24800 Anti-Muslim attitudes found throughout Louisiana By The Associated Press BALL — Fliers urging a boycott of 44 central Louisiana businesses said to be owned by Muslims have resulted in threats of violence and a loss of customers for those businesses. Most of the businesses are convenience stores. Some are Muslim-owned. Some are not. Circulation of the fliers is one of the latest examples of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment in Louisiana after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Another is the vandalism of the Cactus Cafe, a Denham Springs restaurant owned by a Iranian native. Denham Springs Police Chief Jeff Wesley said the case is being treated as a hate crime, and the FBI has been called in to help investigate. In New Orleans, a group of Americans of Palestinian descent said Monday the attacks have caused tension on the campus of the University of New Orleans. The students said they hear ethnic slights, especially when away from the campus. They are worried about worsening repercussions for Muslims in America if the campaign against terrorism becomes a shooting war and the United States military starts to sustain casualties overseas. To make Muslim students feel secure and to minimize the prospects of trouble, UNO officials have urged them to stay in groups and to avoid arguing politics with non-Muslims for fear such encounters could spin out of control, said Emad Wajeeh, a Muslim who immigrated to the U.S. from Iraq many years ago and now serves as UNO’s director of institutional research. There are about 100 UNO students from the Middle East who have identified themselves as Muslim. One of the central Louisiana businesses that received the anonymous anti-Muslim flier is the RPMS Chevron gas station and convenience story on U.S 165. Manager Danetta Doyle said the flier led to a threatening call. "One of the cashiers got a call this morning that said, ‘Y’all blew us up, now we’re going to blow you up,’ " Doyle said. She had put out a sign saying "RPMS is an American owned company." Farther down the highway, outside the Speedy Stop in Pineville, mechanic Tim Russell and owner Mansour Said were spray-painting a big American flag on the grass in front of the flagpole where a smaller flag waved. "This list has killed our business," Russell said. "It’s really too bad. My boss here has been in the U.S. for 10 years." Russell said the store has been getting anonymous calls insulting his boss, a native of Jordan. Both RPMS and Speedy Stop are listed on the flier, which urges people to boycott the stores as a response to the terrorist attacks being blamed on Osama bin Laden. Doyle said some callers have asked who owns RPMS. "I tell people who call that we’re an American-owned company run by a Christian family man," she said. "But if someone is wanting to call in and give us death threats, then I’m going to tell them off. The Ball police are just down the street, and they check up on us." Doyle said her business has not been hurt. "But if you’re going to put a list out like that, at least have the guts to put your name on it." Next door, at the Texaco Xpress Lube, manager Bryan Pryor said he had talked to Doyle about the boycott flier. "Everybody is really uptight about Muslims and what is going on in the Middle East," Pryor said. "I think everyone needs to get their facts straight about what’s going on." Vance Tradewell of Tioga, at a service station not listed on the flier, said he will not support businesses on the list. "I ain’t buying from them," Tradewell said. A little farther down the highway, a flag waved in the breeze above the gas pumps of the Kwik Pantry in Ball, a convenience store owned by Pakistani Muslims. The store is on the list. Manager Shafqat Iqbal and employee Mohammad Butt said they are aware of the list, but are ignoring it and going about their business. "Our customers are the best customers," Iqbal said. However, he said, someone pasted a picture of bin Laden on the door, a bullet hole marked on bin Laden’s forehead. "I don’t know why they did this," Iqbal said, adding that he and the majority of followers of Islam condemn bin Laden’s beliefs and actions. "I am Muslim, and the Muslim religion is one of friendship, gathering, brotherhood and respect," Iqbal said. Bin Laden "is not Muslim," he said.

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
ahmer
09/27/01 at 00:05:03
http://news.excite.com/news/uw/010925/university-252 Indiana U. Muslim student still shaken after weekend attack By Melinda Tam Indiana Daily Student Indiana U. (U-WIRE) BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University junior Omar Khan, a Pakistani Muslim, had just left Kilroy's Sports Bar on North Walnut to withdraw money from an ATM about four blocks away when two men attacked him early Sunday, police said. Khan was walking on the 500 block of North Washington Street at about 1:20 a.m., Bloomington, Ind., Police Capt. Joe Qualters said. Khan said two men walked by and shouted a racial comment and profanities. They told him to go back to his country, Khan said. Khan said he shouted a harsh comment back at them. Upset by Khan's return comment, the men threw Khan into an isolated alley and attacked him, Khan said. "They just started beating me up," Khan said "They punched me in the head and kept stepping on my knuckles." Khan said it lasted for about seven to eight minutes during which he pleaded with the two men to stop. "I was telling them to let me go, but they just wouldn't," Khan said. When they left, Khan went back to Kilroy's Sports Bar to meet a friend, senior Matt Bogdan. Khan was holding the side of his head and did not seem to be himself, Bogdan said. "When I saw him, he was not very responsive, and his face was swollen on the side," Bogdan said. Khan and Bogdan reported the attack to BPD at 1:42 a.m. After reporting the incident, Khan and Bogdan went to a nearby Taco Bell to get ice. Khan turned down an offer from police to get him medical treatment, he said. While Khan was in the restroom, he experienced more physical problems from the attack. "I passed out for five minutes," Khan said. "I must have been in shock." Khan said the hardest part about being assaulted is how it affects his everyday life. "I don't feel safe walking alone anymore," Khan said. "I read stories that (attacks) were happening, but I never thought in my wildest dreams that it would happen to me." Police said the situation may have been escalated by alcohol. While other Muslim students have reported physical and verbal abuse while on campus, Qualters said it hasn't been a problem in the city itself. "This is one of the first cases I have seen," Qualters said. Junior Naimah Bilal, president of the Muslim Student Union, said she was surprised to hear about the attack. "It shocked me, because I thought that it was getting safer," Bilal said. "Muslims have every right to be wary." Although Khan said he remains shaken by the attack, he is not letting that affect his views. "I don't hold anything against anyone," Khan said. "(My attackers) are just some ignorant people."

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
ahmer
09/27/01 at 00:12:46
http://news.excite.com/news/uw/010925/university-259 Syracuse U.-area Muslims persevere through insults, stereotypes Updated: Tue, Sep 25 12:00 PM EDT By Doug Levy Daily Orange Syracuse U. (U-WIRE) SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A poster hanging in the lobby window of The Islamic Society of Central New York reflects a tolerance and friendship that the Muslim community largely has been missing since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. In red and blue ink it reads: "I pledge to remember that all of my fellow Americans are my brothers and sisters. I promise not to encourage, support or participate in any words or deeds of hatred against my fellow citizens who are Muslims or are of Middle Eastern descent." Surrounding the words are the signatures of the 80 Syracuse-area schoolchildren who made the poster. Across the country Muslims have been singled out because the attacks have been attributed to a group of fundamentalists, resulting in followers experiencing how the brush of ignorance paints with wide strokes. "The Muslim community finds themselves a minority in this country," said the Rev. Thomas A. Davenport, the Protestant chaplain at Syracuse University's Hendricks Chapel. "Our history shows we have treated minorities poorly. "It's horrendous that people would feel unsafe here in Syracuse," he added. "I feel safe all the time, most of us feel safe all the time, and we take that for granted." At SU, discrimination has extended to the Muslim community in many ways, said Ahmed Kobeisy, the Muslim chaplain at the chapel and imam at The Islamic Society of Central New York, 925 Comstock Ave. Kobeisy estimates 500 to 600 Muslim students attend SU, but he said the number is difficult to predict accurately because many do not want to list their religion for fear of discrimination. This fear is widespread, especially in the aftermath of the recent terrorist attacks. Dangerous ground "You better take that towel off your head," tailgating students called out as a football fan walked past the SU parking lot with an "Orange Wave" towel covering his head before Saturday's game. "Bad time to be a towel-head," another warned. Donovan Goodly just kept walking. "I was thinking about it later when I got back to my room,"said Goodly, a sophomore communication design major who had sported the orange towel. "They just kind of grouped those people from the Middle East as being towel-heads. I thought it was just very ignorant to group all of those people from (Afghanistan) as being towel-heads, when in reality, many of them actually don't wear (head coverings)." Muslims are a visible minority in the United States. Statistics from the Detroit Free Press's Web site estimated the number of Arab-Americans at nearly 3 million. Not all are Islamic; many practice other religions, including Christianity and Judaism. "The reality is any group that looks different, unfortunately, in our society can be a potential victim of hate," said Mark Rothschild, the interim director of Hillel at SU. "I think there is significantly more discrimination toward Arab-Americans today because of what occurred." Kobeisy personally has experienced this hatred and also felt it through members of the Muslim community that he interacts with on a daily basis. Coming and going Rows upon rows of books line the walls of Kobeisy's office at the mosque. The reading options range from books on civil rights to American history and from slavery to the Catholic faith. Seated behind his desk, sans shoes, Kobeisy speaks of how he emigrated to the United States from Egypt in 1985. His original intention was to return to Egypt after completing his master's and doctoral degrees in counseling at SU, but a job offer kept him in the States. Kobeisy, who has since become a naturalized American citizen, then outlined what many Muslim-Americans have experienced in the wake of the terrorist attacks. One student was beaten up so badly he needed to be hospitalized, Kobeisy said, and others have withdrawn from school completely to return home to the Middle East, some for the rest of the semester, others for good. Staff in SU's office of the registrar said they have not looked into whether any students have left as a direct result of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. "(Retaliation) has varied from one place to another, but it has been severe," Kobeisy said. "As a result of this people were afraid to be associated with Islam. When crimes are committed by Jews, no one questions Judaism. Apparently people can distinguish between a Jew and Judaism and a Christian and Christianity, but not between a Muslim and Islam. "When a right-wing extremist from a religious group other than Islam calls for the destruction of the world, then the world does not associate that person with their religion. But when a Muslim extremist does the same, then Muslims are accused." Kobeisy cautioned that American irrational retaliation in the wake of the terrorist attacks only will continue the cycle of hate and violence. "We must use our reason in order to have a peaceful world," he said. "Justice does not mean revenge. This is not by any means an American tragedy; it is a human tragedy." (C) 2001 Daily Orange via U-WIRE

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
ahmer
10/01/01 at 09:27:57
http://www.iviews.com/scripts/news/stories/default.cfm?id=670810 FRI SEP 28 2001 05:09 P.M. G.M.T. Even Muslim-Americans say campus not so comfortable any more CHICAGO, Sept 28 (AFP) - "I think twice when somebody looks at me now," said Subat Khawaja, a law student at the University of Houston in Texas. "You always get looks when you're dressed head to toe in black," she said referring to her traditional Muslim headscarf and flowing dress, "but now I wonder if they're thinking that maybe I'm a terrorist." Always easily distinguishable from her US peers, the 19-year-old second generation Pakistani, now feels distinctly something of an "outsider." After skipping two days of classes following the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington -- because another student had cautioned her it might be safer to stay away, given the mood on campus -- she felt more conspicuous when she returned. "I felt very self-conscious when I got back," she said, in part because she felt her absence could have been misconstrued as a lack of loyalty to her country of birth: the United States. Two weeks later, she is still grappling with the cultural isolation that -- for many Muslims -- is rapidly becoming part of the legacy of that September day. "People are very supportive in general. But my non-Muslim friends stay off the topic (of the attacks). I do too. I don't want to offend anybody," said Khawaja, lamenting that she couldn't "mourn the same way as the Americans." And while she struggles not to become "paranoid," the occasional verbal abuse she has experienced while driving to the store, and the handwritten sign, reading: "We will get all you ragheads," displayed in one car window is not doing much for her sense of security. "I stay in the house unless I really have to go out," said the second-year college student, noting that she too had become a "victim" of the suicide terrorist attacks in an indirect way. "This is not the America I know," she said, reflecting that regardless of her traditional dress "I am American. I don't know anything but America." "This was the country I was born in. I don't even speak Arabic."

Re: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes ARCHIVE
ahmer
10/04/01 at 23:40:00
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/terrorism/islam/usc1002.html Some USC students from Mideast leaving U.S. to avoid potential harassment The Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The terrorist attacks three weeks ago in New York and Washington have left some students fearing for their safety on South Carolina campuses. At least a dozen University of South Carolina students from the Middle East have left school since the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, and one former student was detained by the FBI in Atlanta as he tried to leave the country, university officials said. Graduate student Wafaa Alghamdi and her brother were trying to leave the country after Alghamdi filed a harassment complaint against four male students on Sept. 12. Although none of the students at the school are from Afghanistan, the home of suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden, about 12 of 83 students from Arabic countries have gone home, school spokesman Russ McKinney said. Four men approached Alghamdi and verbally assaulted her and tried to remove her hijab, an Islamic head covering, according to a police report. University police said Tuesday no arrests have been made. When Alghamdi and her brother tried to return to their homeland of Saudi Arabia, her brother was detained by the FBI. The bureau is not commenting on anyone who may be detained. Sheima Salam, vice president of the university's Muslim Students Association, said the siblings share a common Arabic last name with suspected hijacker Saeed Alghamdi. "It made me very sad," said Salam, a Muslim American who knows the pair. "She told me she had waited four years to get this scholarship (to study English in the United States). Now, it's fallen through the cracks." More Middle Eastern university students are planning to leave the school. "We're feeling a lot of pain from many different sides right now," Salam said. "We're really sad about those people who lost their lives, we're really hurt about the attack on America, and we're really hurt that people who claim our faith did this," she said. "They brought our faith down." The Saudi Arabian government said it has offered citizens in the United States a plane ticket home. "We issued a notice to students in the U.S. to be cautious," said a Saudi Arabian embassy spokesman who asked not to be identified because of security concerns. He said 400 of the 5,500 Saudi nationals in America have asked to be returned home since Sept. 11 and his country is providing legal counsel to Saudi detainees. "In most cases, we are being contacted by families back in Saudi Arabia who only know what they see on cable," the spokesman said. "We don't want them to be in anxiety over their children at this time."
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